28 Days
by Torenza
Summary: Complete Kikyo's a nurse, Miroku's a surgeon (the hands on sort), Inuyasha's a doctor, Sango's the peskiest patient in the world and Shippo is a kid who 'doesn't talk', and kagome has 28 days to live. And this is a humour fic?
1. Birds and Bees

Disclaimer: Wait for it - I'm gonna try my hand at poetry again!!!  
  
I don't own Inuyasha  
  
And I don't own a phone  
  
I don't have any money  
  
And so I have no......... what rhymes with phone?  
  
(A/N: so now you understand why I don't write poetry - I suck at it! Anyway, thought up a new story and since I have a new keyboard I thought I might as well get to writing it before it burns a hole in my brain... well, anyway, this is kind of based on your average one of them's fatally ill, blah, blah, blah - but I'm not going to make it cheesy! I hate writing cheesy stuff! I'll add interesting stuff (or what I hope will be interesting) along in the plot. So it's kind of original... but also not kind of originally. Anyway, review and tell me what you think.)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
The Birds and the Bees  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome sat on the porch and watched the madness unravel around her as she rubbed her hands together for warmth.  
  
"Scuse' us love." A couple of removal men carrying her chest of drawers said from behind her and she hastily shuffled along the porch to make room for them, smiling politely as they went past. She rubbed her hands again and blew into them and tried to ignore how the frosty porch was making her behind nice and numb.  
  
She was happy... but at the same time really, really sad.  
  
She was moving out in a few hours. The truck had turned up early to hike all her furniture and gear off and transport it to her new apartment near her university. That's why she was sad... she was leaving home... she'd probably only ever come back at holidays for visits to see her family and pick up her presents. From now on she was basically classed as an adult. She'd go to university, get her degree and hopefully get some recommendations around the area she lived. Then she'd get a job... get a life... get a husband and raise a family. Then she'd move into a bigger house because a tiny flat was in no way going to support six kids. At least... she hoped she'd have a lot of kids.  
  
She sighed again and smiled. She was happy for herself... but she felt like she was leaving a part of herself behind here. Like she was finally taking the big step out of childhood and into adulthood. A big step... and she'd be sleeping under a new roof tonight... without any of her family nearby.  
  
There was a crash and she looked up to see that the removal men had slipped on some ice and the chest they were carrying had fallen to the ground. Her mother was happily telling them off for it while the rest of the removal men and neighbours carried on with packing stuff into the truck.  
  
Those neighbours... they were a little hasty getting her stuff packed... anyone would thing they couldn't wait to get her out of the neighbourhood.  
  
Kagome would lend a hand, but they all seemed to have their hands full and there wasn't much left for Kagome to help with. So she just sat back and absorbed it all.  
  
"Do make yourself useful Kagome." Her mother smiled as she bustled past and back into the house.  
  
Kagome took another look ahead and weighed up the chances of her carrying a chair down all those slippery ice covered steps and thought... nah.  
  
She stood up anyway and looked around to see where Souta was. How come he wasn't helping either? Kagome went back into the house, intending to drag him away from the playstation for a few minutes so he could acknowledge the fact his big sister was leaving home. Though when she went into the living room she discovered he wasn't there. She tried his bedroom and a few other places but he didn't appear to be in the house.  
  
Kagome wasn't the type to panic and have a heart attack over a missing brother, since she was sure he was just hanging around somewhere... probably hiding to get out of helping pack.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Careful how you handle that!" Naraku snapped at the delivery service men that were having difficulty loading crates into the back of their truck. Normally they would have used a forklift but Naraku had stomped on that idea, saying that his cargo was too precious to be forked by lumbering machines. So they were stuck doing it by hand.  
  
And the deliverymen weren't exactly keen on this arrangement since it meant getting particularly close to what they were supposed to lift. The strange crates kept emitting an incessant humming and buzzing sound that kept changing pitch every now and then.  
  
But the deliverymen knew exactly what it was.  
  
"Careful... careful." Naraku guided as the men started to lift a third crate into the truck. "Come on, I haven't got all week, you know. This stuff has to be at Tokyo central labs by this afternoon!"  
  
The deliverymen just rolled their eyes and continued lifting at their own pace. Then suddenly one man's hand slipped across the rough wooden crate. He yelled out in pain and dropped his end of the crate onto his foot, making him yell out again. The lid of the crate jarred and popped open... and out of the crack several bees started to pour out.  
  
"Close it! Close it!" Naraku yelled at once and the delivery man hammered down on the lid for all he was worth with his fists, despite the fact he was only weighing his foot down even more.  
  
The lid snapped just again and the bees crawling or flying out were crushed with a yellow gooey mess. Every breathed a sigh of relief, but Naraku was slightly busy watching the thirty of so bees that had escaped whirl away into the distance.  
  
"What'll happen to them?" one of the deliverymen asked.  
  
"They'll die of hypothermia... hopefully..." Naraku sighed. It was incredibly cold and those bees were only made to survive in tropical climates. They wouldn't last more than a few minutes... and the chances of them coming into contact with a human were pretty low. Hopefully...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Now listen Mikao..." Inuyasha sighed as he slowly crouched down to face the small boy. "You can't keep faking this illness just because you don't want to go to school."  
  
The little boy scowled and folded his arms, mostly glad his mother had stepped out so she couldn't hear this. "So? All the other kids make fun of me-!"  
  
"So? I'm not a psychiatrist. Don't come whining to me about your problems. You're wasting my time." Inuyasha said haughtily.  
  
"You don't like kids do you?" Mikao stuck his bottom lip out.  
  
"No... I absolutely adore them." Inuyasha faked a smile. "I just hate them when they fake big diseases so they won't get bullied. Be a man, face it!"  
  
"I can keep on faking it if I want to!" the boy growled.  
  
"Keep on faking and I'll tell mommy." Inuyasha growled back.  
  
The boy paled. "I'll say you're lying... I'll keep faking... she'll think you're a bad doctor and get someone else."  
  
"I'm shaking." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Look, I'm going to give you a little lesson in life, kid."  
  
The boy rolled his eyes. Here came another teacher-like lecture that will tell him he'll get nowhere if he doesn't work his hardest.  
  
"If you don't go to school then you won't get an education, if you don't get an education then you won't go to college. If you don't go to college you won't get a job, and if you don't get a job you won't get any money. And if you don't get any money then you can't buy any food. And if you can't buy any food then you'll starve and die."  
  
Mikao stared at him in horror. "Oh...  
  
Inuyasha had helpfully skipped the part about social benefits for the unemployed and how even if you didn't get a job you could still be a manager for MacDonalds or something. The kid didn't need to know that.  
  
"So..." Inuyasha smiled again. "You wanna get better now?"  
  
The boy nodded quickly.  
  
"Good." Inuyasha stood up and went to open the door. "You can come back in now."  
  
Mikao's mother came back in with a puzzled look on her face. "Is everything all right?"  
  
"Yep, I talked to Mikao and he's agreed to stick to the diet I gave him." Inuyasha picked up his prescription pad and started looking around for a pen. "Where's that blasted pen...? I swear I had it a minute ago..."  
  
"You can use mine." The mother quickly handed him one from her pocket.  
  
Inuyasha took it and started writing instructions down on the pad. "I'm going to prescribe some calpol... that should clear up the chest infection."  
  
"What about the fevers? And the bed-wetting? And the night terrors? And the fits?" Mikao's mother asked hurriedly.  
  
"If he sticks to the diet he should be fine." Inuyasha sighed, hating the fact he was covering up for that squirt. "You can go back to seeing your regular GP now. I doubt he'll need to see me again."  
  
"Thank you... doctor..." the mother smiled, a little unsure of calling him 'doctor' since he was still younger than she was.  
  
She left the examination room and Inuyasha began hunting around for his lost pen. It was his favourite too... the black one with the red thing at the top. Undoubtedly Kikyo had decided to take it since she seemed to have a habit of taking things around the hospital without asking.  
  
With a faint half-sigh, half-growl, he stomped out of the examination room and headed down the luxury-carpeted floor towards reception.  
  
"Look if I had your stupid CD, you'd know about it, ok?" he heard Kikyo fending off another attacker. "What would I want with Tom Jones anyway?"  
  
Miroku was leaning against the reception desk in his dark blue smocks that were the usual surgeon uniform. "I don't know, Kikyo, you always struck me as the type to throw your underwear at strangers."  
  
Kikyo suddenly slammed her register shut and poked him in the chest. "Move it - you're not supposed to be up here anyway!"  
  
"Just give me my CD back!" Miroku demanded.  
  
"Why, so you can play it in your Mercedes to pull girls?"  
  
"So you DO have it?!"  
  
"No, I'm just commenting on the unlikely event that a girl would even get into the same car as you." Kikyo said simply, calmly opening her register. She looked up to see Inuyasha approaching and smiled. "Ah! Your next patient is-"  
  
"Would it kill you to stop nicking the pens in my rooms?" Inuyasha said bluntly as he arrived.  
  
Kikyo's expression turned upside down. "Oh for the love of... I didn't take your pen!"  
  
"Then where is it?" he snapped.  
  
She reached up to the side of his face and pulled out the pen that had been lodged behind his ear. She showed it to him with a 'hah!' kind of expression. He glared at it before snatching it. "Well, what did you put it there for?"  
  
She just sighed and rolled her eyes. She then turned back to Miroku. "Beat it before I slap a restraining order on you."  
  
"Like you're the first to threaten me with one of-"  
  
"I'd really love to listen to you ladies bicker all day." Inuyasha interrupted. "But where's my next patient."  
  
Kikyo shot Miroku one last glare before looking down into her registry book. "Guess who?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"No, guess..."  
  
Inuyasha sighed and looked thoughtful. "The Easter bunny..."  
  
"No." she saw him try to sneak a peel at the waiting area. "you're not allowed to look!"  
  
"Santa Clause?"  
  
"Close." Kikyo pointed behind him and got back on with her work. Inuyasha looked around and spotted a familiar girl getting out of one of the cushy blue chairs.  
  
"Not you again..." he groaned as Sango trotted up.  
  
"I thought you'd be used to me by now." She smiled in reply. "You know you love me really."  
  
"You know I do." Miroku leaned forward.  
  
Sango leaned away and gave Inuyasha a pleading look. He rolled his eyes in response. "Come on." but before he went he made sure he grabbed a few of Kikyo's pens in case he ran out.  
  
"Ok." Inuyasha announced as he burst through the door of the storage room. He held out his hand behind him to Sango without looking. "Form."  
  
"Don't waste precious time on pleasantries do you?" Sango sighed as she handed him the form.  
  
He glanced right down to the bottom. Two other signatures were there, and he had to add his own. Fortunately now he had several pens to do this task with. "How's the treatment going?" he asked as he quickly signed.  
  
"Is that a pleasantry?"  
  
"It's a question. Answer it."  
  
"Ok... but... I can't really tell much difference since last week." She rubbed her hands together self-consciously. "I still can't grip things hard and they're always cold... are you even listening?"  
  
"What?" Inuyasha looked up at her.  
  
"I said there's no improvement!" she said loudly like she was talking to a deaf old person.  
  
"I can hear you fine... I just wasn't listening." He began searching the shelves for her medication. "For god's sakes... will someone please tell Kikyo to stop filing things to her own alphabet?"  
  
Sango waited patiently before he eventually came back with a white bottle. "You know the dosage, right?"  
  
"One before every meal."  
  
"And only for two meals a day." He nodded and took her hands. "Let's take a look."  
  
Sango sighed patiently as he turned her hands over in his own and frowned at them. "Still cold?"  
  
"As ever."  
  
"Still can't grip?"  
  
"Nothing..."  
  
"Any other problems?" he asked, rubbing her left hand as if to get it warm.  
  
Sango grinned at his action. "A little... after the surgery last month I can't really lift my arms above my shoulders."  
  
"Why didn't you say that last week?" he frowned and dropped her hand, only to start on the second one.  
  
"Because you all but shoved me out the door last week. You're too impatient for your own good." Sango rolled her eyes. "Personally I don't think the good doctor job was the right one for you."  
  
"Unless you're a guidance counsellor, shut up."  
  
"Actually-"  
  
"Shut up anyway." Inuyasha placed his hand in hers. "Squeeze."  
  
She did so... very weakly. He raised her arm a bit. "And again." It was even weaker. He lowered it so it was by her side, unfortunately he was slightly too tall to hold her hand down there so he had to get on one knee. "And again." She squeezed, stronger this time.  
  
Just then Miroku appeared in the doorway. "Hey Inuyasha, have you seen my... what the hell is going on in here?"  
  
Inuyasha took a moment to assess what it looked like before rolling his eyes. "Ew."  
  
Sango shot him a look. "What do you mean 'ew'?"  
  
"I mean, ew." Inuyasha slapped the bottle into her hands, watching her fumble around for a moment before managing to hold it steady. "Increase the dose to three times a day, ok? And if that doesn't work, you should consider getting a consultant meeting with Miroku to talk about another operation."  
  
Sango and Miroku looked at one another, and one of them grinned.  
  
Sango sighed. "Great..."  
  
Inuyasha folded his arms. "Good, now get moving, I do have more patients than just you, ya know."  
  
Sango trotted off happily while Miroku sighed and headed off the other way. "I'm never gonna hear Tom Jones again at this rate..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome went back outside and zipped her jacket back up tightly and stuffed her hands into her pockets. Her firs bet was the well house, but the minute she poked her head in there she decided he wasn't going to be lurking in the dark no matter what the occasion was. That place gave him the creeps... and it wasn't like Kagome felt entirely comfortable around it either.  
  
Next was the Goshinboku tree. She carefully stepped across the frozen tufts of grass that led up the tree and heard distinctive shuffling sounds from above her. He was in the branches.  
  
"Hmm... I wonder where Souta could be..." she said looking around her without looking up. "I was so sure he'd be around here somewhere..."  
  
There came more shuffling from above her.  
  
"Well... if I can't find him he can't have that chocolate pudding mom just made." Kagome sighed dramatically and heard a snapping twig from above her. She grinned and looked up... but soon the smile slipped from her face. She was grinning rather stupidly at a squirrel. "Oh...  
  
Souta tapped her elbow. "Talking to the animals again, Dr Dolittle?"  
  
Kagome turned on him, feeling foolish. "Where've you been hiding?"  
  
"No where... just been walking around." He stamped his feet to get the cold out of his boots.  
  
"I'm leaving in a couple of hours, you know." Kagome reminded him.  
  
Souta rolled his eyes. "Like I'd forget."  
  
"So you... won't miss me at all?" Kagome raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I guess..." Souta shrugged.  
  
Something was definitely up with Souta. He wasn't often so gloomy, unless there was something on his mind, or troubling him at school. She crouched down beside him and wafted at the bee that had just crashed into her hair.  
  
"Is something wrong, Souta?" she asked with concern.  
  
"No..." he grumbled.  
  
"Yes there is."  
  
"No there isn't."  
  
"We're not getting into a childish argument over this. I'm seventeen, I'm too old for this."  
  
"You, you're as old as the hills... you're ancient..." Souta frowned.  
  
"Hey, you've only got five more years to go before you're in the same situation." She reminded him, flicking again at the bee that kept buzzing around her head. Souta's chin dropped and she caught a hint at what might be bothering him. "Don't you want to go to university?"  
  
"Well... yeah... but..."  
  
"But what?"  
  
"Aren't you scared?" he looked up suddenly. "You're gonna leave everyone you know behind and go live in a strange place around strange people you don't know. And you'll practically LIVE at university and do nothing but work and be bored... and how're you gonna make new friends so easily?"  
  
He wasn't worried for her, he was worried for himself when his turn came. The best way to resolve this was by showing him she wasn't scared. "Souta... everyone there will be new, no one will know each other. Everyone will be nice to each other and help each other and the staff there will make you feel welcome... and it's not all work, ya know."  
  
"Yeah, right."  
  
"Yeah. Without parents or grandparents breathing down your neck you can stay up however late you want, eat whatever you want and go out to parties like, every Saturday. No one actually works at University." She grinned. "And besides, you still have five years, you won't be going for a while. You still should enjoy the time you have left as a kid, you shouldn't be worrying about stuff that far ahead."  
  
"Who said I was worried?" Souta asked, eyeing the bee that refused to leave her alone.  
  
"A little bird." She smiled and stood up, batting at the bee again. "That's weird... bees in winter."  
  
"So you're not worried that you'll be all alone."  
  
"I won't be for long." Kagome sighed. "I'll make new friends... get myself a boyfriend and probably marry him. Then we could open a Lawyer branch together and have little lawyer children and make love every night..."  
  
"Way too much information, Kagome!" he said quickly.  
  
"Just kidding." She poked him in the ribs. "Just want to see you squirm."  
  
That bee was buzzing really close to her ear now and she frowned. Whipping around she clapped her hands together over it so she squished it between her palms. "About damn - AH!"  
  
"What?!" Souta jumped back.  
  
"Stupid thing stung me!" Kagome let the curled up dead insect fall to the frosty floor and held her palm up for inspection. "Ow... what a great way to start my adult life."  
  
"I'd say." Souta took a peek. "Ew... it's yellow!"  
  
"Wuss." Kagome clenched her fist to try and squeeze the pain out and smiled at her little brother. "You gonna help pack now?"  
  
"Oh... do I have to?" Souta frowned.  
  
"Well, if you can lift my bed... yes." Kagome started nudging him back in to direction of the Shrine. "You might as well be there with the send off committee..."  
  
Kagome inhaled deeply and unzipped her jacket a bit, it was getting quite warm suddenly. The sun must have been coming out.  
  
Kagome's mother was waiting for them when Kagome and Souta arrived. "There you two are - the truck's been sent off and so everything should be unpacked in your flat by the time you get there, Kagome."  
  
"Great." Kagome tugged at her turtle neck jumper and blew out a furl of steam. "Is it me or is it warm out here?"  
  
"Getting a hot flush? Probably all this excitement." Her mother smiled. "I'll just go check you've packed everything."  
  
Kagome was about to follow her when her head began to swim slightly. She stopped when she reached the porch and had to lean against one of the wooden posts holding it up. "Whoa..."  
  
"What's the matter?" Souta asked quickly.  
  
"I don't know..." Kagome closed her eyes briefly to stop the ground spinning, but when she opened her eyes again black dots were dancing in front of her eyes and her body suddenly felt very weak. Something was wrong with her. "Souta... get... get mom... get..."  
  
The black consumed her vision and she slumped to the ground as her legs failed and bile rose in her throat.  
  
"Kagome!" Souta lurched towards her.  
  
That was the last thing she heard.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: that's a long first chapter... anyway, next one should be up soon. Watch this space!) 


	2. First Impressions

Disclaimer: I'm broke now, and I don't get paid for a few days... so wait until then to sue me, ok?  
  
(A/N: People keep saying that I should proof read my work... and yes... I probably should. But when I've written it I don't want to go through it again and if I give it to someone else it delays the posting time. I admit, I'm not a patient person and right now my keyboard has changed and there are hundreds more typos than ever before (eek) It's like trying to use the keypad of a mobile phone to write a novel...  
  
Anyway, I've gone back and changed some stuff in the first chapter - but no need to read it again. I just changed some spelling and grammar and that slip with Souta and Inuyasha (can you tell I had a certain doctor on the mind?)^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
First Impressions  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome's head hurt a lot when she woke up... as well as her hand. But other than feeling like she'd been out partying all night, she felt fine.  
  
"Kagome!" someone shouted when she peeked open her eyes slightly. Sound suddenly flushed together and she began to notice the faint incessant beeping sound in the background. She also felt something plastic and rather constricting had been shoved up her nose and the back of her hand ached while the other just hurt all over.  
  
Her mother's face appeared above her and she vaguely noticed that her mother looked very relieved. "Kagome? Do you know who I am? Do you remember what happened to you?"  
  
Kagome opened her mouth and tried to speak, but her tongue felt fuzzy and her entire throat dry. She coughed and tried to start again but it was no use. She couldn't find strength to even talk.  
  
"It's ok, you just relax." Her mother touched her shoulder. Another woman appeared on her other side with a pretty young face.  
  
"Kagome? Do you know where you are? Nod your head if you do." The lady said.  
  
Kagome shook her head.  
  
"You're in hospital, you've had a bit of an accident..." the woman smiled kindly and Kagome realised she must have been a nurse, and she was in a hospital ward. But she couldn't remember why.  
  
"Do you remember what happened?" the nurse asked.  
  
Once again she shook her head.  
  
"Do you remember what you had for breakfast this morning?"  
  
Kagome thought... but she couldn't remember. Hadn't she just gone to bed? What time was it? She hadn't had breakfast yet, had she?"  
  
Kagome's mother looked up at the nurse. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Don't worry, Mrs Higurashi, short term memory loss is fairly common after comas." The nurse replied easily. "You're lucky she woke up so quickly."  
  
The beeping machine behind Kagome suddenly spiked and she began to squirm uneasily. The nurse quickly pushed her back down. "It's ok, don't get up, you're out of the woods now."  
  
"What..." Kagome croaked. "What happened...?"  
  
Why couldn't she remember?  
  
Mrs Higurashi looked fretful. "Souta said you were stung by a bee and you collapsed. You sure pick your moments, Kagome. You missed the train to your new apartment."  
  
Kagome groaned and her heart sank. She was going to miss the beginning of her semester at this rate. What day was it?  
  
"We think you might have had a rather allergic reaction to some of the acid in the bees sting, you could have a serious problem in that case." The nurse was scribbling something down on a chart. "Have you ever been stung before?"  
  
Kagome nodded. "But not like this time..."  
  
The nurse nodded. "Sometimes allergies don't actually make their presence known until late teens. But that normally shouldn't knock you into a coma..."  
  
A man in a long white lab coat suddenly entered with a clipboard and pen. "Nice to see you awake, Miss Higurashi."  
  
Kagome's head reeled. Now that she could see properly, she could see the room was crowded with more than one nurse and her whole family was stood there too.  
  
"You're little brother said you've been stung by a bee and had a bit of a violent reaction." He tapped his clipboard happily. "I think the wisest thing to do at this point will be to take some bloodtests and get them back as soon as possible. We should have the results back in two or three days or so."  
  
Kagome closed her eyes and took deep steadying breaths to calm herself. It was ok... she'd be able to go to university tomorrow... she wouldn't miss it come hell or high water...  
  
"Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, we seem to be having a bit of a problem with space, as you can see." The doctor waved a hand around to the other three beds in that ward, all occupied by comatose patients. "We're running short of beds and since Kagome is out of the woods, I think we have more pressing patients to see too."  
  
Kagome clenched her teeth. It wasn't every day she fell into a coma. That, in her book, made her a pressing patient.  
  
"We have, however, the name of another good doctor that will be able to help her." The doctor wrote something down for them. "His name is Doctor Hatsuyo, he's good in this kind of field. Though he works at the private hospital in the Musashi district."  
  
"Private therapy?" Kagome's mother sounded uncertain. "Isn't that a little expensive?"  
  
"Only for the insurance companies. You do have insurance, right?"  
  
"Yes, of course."  
  
"Then I think you should go see Dr Hatsuyo." The doctor handed over a sheet with a name and the address of the hospital. "I'll forward all forms and blood test results to him. Plus, the hospital is a lovely place. You'll like it there, there's more space and you'll get your own room."  
  
"Joy..." Kagome croaked.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Eventually Kagome's family had taken off to go see this Dr Hatsuyo, and left Kagome in the competent care of the nurses. They were charged with the task of taking blood to send off for testing, and they didn't do it gently, either.  
  
Kagome winced as they slid the needle into the vein before jamming in a syringe to take the blood. Finally it was full and they took it away. She was about to sigh with relief when they got another tube and started to fill that one too. By the time they were onto the fourth tube she began to worry if she'd have any blood left. She really began to worry when they started to fill a fourth and the nurse had to jiggle the syringe to get he blood flowing.  
  
They finally went away, happily cradling the six syringes of blood taken from Kagome who was left feeling particularly weak and pale. "Vampires..." she muttered to herself.  
  
A quarter of an hour later the nurse was back to check her status and ask if she needed anything. Kagome's response was to simply close her eyes and fall back into a deep sleep, that quickly turned comatose.  
  
The nurse ran for the doctor but there wasn't much he could do other than hook her back up to the heart monitor machine to tell when, or if, she passed away. Hopefully she wouldn't.  
  
Kagome's mother arrived back in a flourish and walked into the small ward where Kagome lay. She paled at once when she saw Kagome hooked back up to the machines. "Kagome!"  
  
The nurse quickly blocked her from grabbed her daughter. "It's ok... she's slipped back into a coma, but hopefully she should wake soon since that seems to be her earlier pattern."  
  
Kagome's mother was pushed back slightly and she stood helplessly for a moment, running her hand through her short hair, before walking slowly towards her oldest child. She resisted the temptation to cry, Souta was just outside and she had to be strong for him too. She sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds before letting it out calmly. "I've seem Dr Hatsuyo, Kagome. He seems capable to... to see what's wrong with you..." she trailed off, gazing at Kagome's face. She looked so beautiful... but so ill... "We'll take you toe Shikon hospital when you wake up... probably tomorrow morning."  
  
She smiled and held Kagome's hand again before slowly walking out of the ward to tell the others.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"How can you lose a patient?!" Inuyasha snapped as he stormed along the corridor with Miroku in tow. "They're not like pens, you know!"  
  
"But he was old..." Miroku argued back. "He takes flight very easily."  
  
"Birds take flight easily, Miroku. Old age pensioners crawl away. He can't have gone too far." Inuyasha shook his head. "I've seen plants grow faster than he can move."  
  
He threw the door open to the old pensioner patients room where they all hung out together. Yep... there was definitely no sign of Miroku's patient in here. "Miroku... what on earth did you say to him to make him think running would be a good idea?"  
  
"I just came in and said 'Mr Takeo, I have you haemorrhoid cream' and-"  
  
"I'm surprise ONLY he ran for the hills." Inuyasha sighed. "Ok, you check the first and second floor and I'll check the third and fourth."  
  
"How come you get the top floors?"  
  
"Because they're smaller floors and the cafeteria will be waiting for me when I get to the top." Inuyasha shrugged as he strode off, first planning to drop off some forms with Kikyo.  
  
He rounded the corner of reception and found Kikyo was already down on her hands and knees cleaning up some vomit... ah... the joys of being a nurse... "Kikyo, have you seen Mr Takeo?"  
  
"The only thing I can see is a gory death to the caretaker - isn't he supposed to clean this stuff up?" She snapped, rising to her feet and pushing her hair out of her eyes.  
  
"Whatever," he handed her selected folders with forms inside. "Call Takeo's next of kin and inform them that he's gone."  
  
"Oh... how sad..." Kikyo sobered at once.  
  
"No - he's not dead, just missing. He might be with them." Inuyasha turned and was about to trundle off to search the upper floors when he spotted Sango coming through the main entrance, using her back to push her way through the doors. "Oh god... not you AGAIN... I don't want to see you for another week."  
  
"I lost my medication." Sango sighed and shrugged. "The cat ate it again and now we have to get a new cat before Kohaku realises it's dead."  
  
"I keep saying I'm not your-"  
  
"-Psychiatrist, don't complain to you, I know." Sango rolled her eyes. "But I need more medication and I have to see the surgeon about an operation."  
  
"Oh... well Miroku should be hanging around this level somewhere, you should bump into him if you look, I'll get your medication later, ok?" Inuyasha turned and was about to say something to Kikyo, only to realise she was gone. He gave a deflated sigh and started to stomp away again while Sango trotted off to find Miroku.  
  
After searching the upper floors for a while he finally met his destination in the cafeteria and was about to order himself up a nice plate of fresh ramen when he spotted a certain old senile man sitting close to the window. Inuyasha sighed and dumped his tray back down and started towards him. Why the man was sat by the window was a mystery, since he was as blind as a bat and twice as batty.  
  
He stood behind the old man and slowly placed a hand on his shoulder. Mr Takeo looked up blindly. "Is that you, death?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm here to tell you to take your cream or you're dead." Inuyasha said flatly.  
  
At least the man saw through that one. "You shouldn't trick your elders, lad."  
  
"Who said I was tricking you...?" Inuyasha said in a rather dark menacing tone.  
  
"Oh, hah, hah." Takeo answered sarcastically.  
  
"Come on, you have to get your cream from Miroku, unless you actually WANT to be squeezing out malteasers for the rest of your life."  
  
"Dramatic sod." Takeo grumbled, but got up and allowed Inuyasha to guide him towards the elevator.  
  
"I hope you appreciate this. I'm giving up my lunch hours for you and your flights of fancy." Inuyasha said as they reached reception. Kikyo was back and had finished cleaning up the mess and had stuck a 'wet floor' sign over the spillage. "Kikyo, take Takeo back to Miroku - he should be with Sango in the examination room."  
  
Kikyo nodded and kindly offered her arm to the elderly gentleman to guide him back.  
  
No sooner had they started down the corridor but Sango came storming up the other way with Miroku chasing after her. "Sango! It's not what it looks like!"  
  
"Oh sure!" Sango yelled over her shoulder.  
  
"Oh come on!" Inuyasha yelled at the raised voices. "This is a hospital, not an opera house!"  
  
"I was just looking for Mr Takeo!" Miroku called after her.  
  
"Down that nurse's throat?!"  
  
"Yeah... I mean... no..." Miroku stopped. "Hey, do you want surgery or not?!"  
  
"I think I'll find someone else I can trust myself with while I'm unconscious." Sango yelled and pushed her way out the doors.  
  
Miroku stood glaring after her before the sound of slow, deliberate clapping could be heard behind him. He turned to find Inuyasha giving him a flat look. "Smooth, Romeo."  
  
"One nurse... that's more than you'll ever get, Inuyasha." Miroku smirked before sauntering off to see Mr Takeo.  
  
Inuyasha scowled after him before wondering what he had been doing before Miroku had dragged him away from his business. Oh yeah - having lunch!  
  
Before he went, he made sure that his supply of pens was still topped up by taking a couple more of Kikyo's and heading back for the elevator. He stepped out at the top floor and into the main cafeteria. He was surprised to see Kikyo had somehow beaten him up there and had managed to change out of her uniform. She was probably going to go home now her shift was over, but planned to swipe a free meal first.  
  
She was crouched before the water dispenser, pulling the tab out to allow the tiny trickle to fill her cup. The tray stand stood beside the dispenser so he had to go up to her.  
  
"Nice hair, did you pay for that perm or is it 'all natural'?" Inuyasha remarked as he reached her. She looked up and stared at him.  
  
"Sorry?" she smiled slightly.  
  
"And since when do you wear red on Sundays?" he eyed her cotton red top and blue jeans. "Something special planned for tonight?"  
  
"That's funny you should ask." She nodded slowly, keeping her smile. "I planned to go to university tonight but certain doctors keep saying that since I'm unstable, I need to be watched twenty four hours a day."  
  
Now Inuyasha was confused. "What?"  
  
"Inuyasha!"  
  
He turned at the sound of Kikyo's voice and saw the real girl heading towards him wearing her usual white nurse dress fringed with light pink. "I called in to the labs but they won't have the tests done by Tuesday."  
  
Inuyasha glanced back at the girl and realised his mistake. "That's weird..."  
  
"Hi, I'm Kagome." Kagome stuck her hand out for him to shake and he noticed that she had an IV needle bandaged to it. "I'm a patient."  
  
"Inuyasha..." he shook her hand. "I'm a... wait... this is too weird, are you two like sisters?"  
  
Kikyo and Kagome glanced at each other, and then back at him. "Never met her before in my life." They both answered at the same time.  
  
Inuyasha quickly backed away. "I think I'll take a rain check on lunch." He said before quickly making his getaway. He didn't need to deal with TWO bimbos around here.  
  
"Nice hand, bet it hurts." Kikyo commented about Kagome's slightly swollen stung hand.  
  
"Stung by a bee."  
  
"Bee allergy?" Kikyo frowned with a slightly arrogant smile. "Surely that isn't cause enough to come to a PRIVATE hospital."  
  
Kagome raised an eyebrow at her tone. "Bee sting? I'm not allergic to bees and I never will be. The acid inserted into the incision seemed to trigger a chemical reaction in the plasma of my blood stream which led to intrusions in the brain that caused black outs, short-term amnesia and comatose."  
  
Kikyo stared at her. "What?"  
  
"But you're only a nurse, I don't expect you to know that." Kagome smiled patronisingly.  
  
Kikyo ignored Inuyasha's snort from close by where he was getting his ramen. Obviously his hunger had won out over that rain check. She blushed slightly and stomped off. It was an age old battle between nurses and doctors and she did NOT like that this girl who had showed up and showed her up in front of a doctor... Inuyasha no less...  
  
Kagome watched her walk away and sighed. "Must have been something I said..."  
  
She took her finally full cup of water and went to go fetch her meal, since she was going to make as much use of her free time as she could. Her new doctor wanted her back in her bed in a quarter of an hour so he could run more tests.  
  
She sidled up beside Inuyasha and smiled. "Why the question about if I was going anywhere special tonight?"  
  
"I thought you were, Kikyo, obviously." He shifted along the row slightly, away from her.  
  
"Ooh... nurse love interests. Hm, how interesting." Kagome nodded. "And cliché."  
  
The thought of him and Kikyo in love was... quite funny actually and he had to smirk.  
  
"Then again, maybe not." Kagome eyed him. "So what are you in for?"  
  
"In for?" he glanced down at her and quickly realised she thought he was a patient too. "No, I'm a doctor here."  
  
Kagome did a double take before laughing. "No, seriously, what are you in for?"  
  
He narrowed his eyes with a tight smile. "I'm in... for a long time... longer than I'd like thank you. So you can stick your nose out of my problems. Ok, sweetie?"  
  
"Ooh... bitter..." Kagome checked her watch and sighed. "Well I better be going now, I have important people to see. Bye, doctor Inuyasha."  
  
She grabbed a sandwich and trotted away to the elevator. Inuyasha just sniffed indignantly when she was gone and mimed her voice. "Bye, doctor!"  
  
Great, now he was getting cheek off patients that weren't even his own...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Inuyasha - could I have a word with you for a moment?"  
  
He turned at the sound of his name being called, about to tell whoever it was to bog off because he was busy - before he realised it was Dr Hatsuyo, and telling him to bog off was a bad idea. Plus, he had to be the only man in the hospital that Inuyasha still respected. "Sure... but it better be quick."  
  
The older doctor beckoned him forward and shut the door of the room he'd just come out of. "Now, you know I'm retiring in a few days and I want you to... what's the matter?"  
  
Inuyasha was staring through the thin glass pane in the door to the hospital bed within. He opened his mouth but was lost for words. It was whatshername... Kagome or something... "What happened to her?"  
  
"Oh - that's a new patient of mine. Strange resemblance to Miss Kikyo wouldn't you say?" the Doctor nodded.  
  
"Scarily similar." Inuyasha frowned. "What's wrong with her? I met her this morning... she seemed fine back then..."  
  
"Oh yes, she seems to have developed a disorder... she keeps slipping into comas, and each one seems longer than the last."  
  
Inuyasha was speechless. The irritating, disrespectful, happy-go-lucky girl was now in a coma...  
  
It was a moment before Inuyasha realised that Dr Hatsuyo was talking again. "Huh?"  
  
"I said, will you do that for me?" Dr Hatsuyo asked again.  
  
Inuyasha stared at him blankly before shrugging. "Sure, whatever."  
  
"You're a star Inuyasha." Dr Hatsuyo clapped him on the shoulder before walking away.  
  
Inuyasha continued to stare through the window in concern. He'd never really heard of a case like this. In between comas she seemed to be fine... but obviously there was something seriously wrong with her.  
  
With a soft sigh he decided to put her to the back of his mind and go drop off those forms with Kikyo again. Being pressed for time, as he so often was, he walked along while filling in a couple as he went. He reached reception without looking up. "Kikyo would you-"  
  
"Busy!" she said quickly as she dashed away.  
  
Inuyasha looked up when she brushed past him and wondered where she had just gone. "What?"  
  
"Inuyasha - I know YOU have that CD!" Miroku yelled as he stormed down the corridor towards him. Inuyasha just went back to marking down his forms, waiting for it to come.  
  
Miroku frowned when Inuyasha didn't look up. "I've checked with everyone else and they don't like Tom Jones - so it has to be - shit!"  
  
He slipped on the wet floor that Kikyo had been scrubbing since that morning (she had a hygiene fetish) and landed flat on his back. Inuyasha calmly noted the thud and stepped over him on his way back to his room. "Kikyo - you need to clean up again!" he called without looking up.  
  
But even though he was busy marking things down on the form, walking, and thinking about how he was going to coax Sango into accepting Miroku as a surgeon... for some reason he couldn't get that comatose girl out of his head...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: So tired... need sleep...) 


	3. Broken

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha... but I'm ok with that as long as Rumiko Takahashi points out she doesn't own my own characters as well ^_^ Hah... that's believable...  
  
(A/N: I've only just realised that the title of this fic resembles one of a recent movie... I'm going to say that my decision to choose this title must have been a subliminal decision after having seen the trailer for the movie a couple of times, and upon thinking up I title a came with 28 Days without realising. Or it could have just been a coincidence...  
  
Anyway! I have a brand new keyboard from my dad (strangely enough he's a doctor too) and it's the best! I can type twice as fast as before and everything's in the right place. So hypos and bad speelings should go down. I hope.  
  
Currently I'm juggling four fics and I seem to be neglecting a few, but don't worry! I've not lost interest - a small case of writers block but I can deal with that. Plus my mock exams are in TWO WEEKS!!!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!  
  
Anywho, enjoy the new chapter!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Broken  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"So how long has it been now?" Kikyo asked Shippos mother as she crouched before him and did the customary check, feeling his glands and peering into his mouth.  
  
"Two years..." his mother sighed. "He was like this when we adopted him from the orphanage. The matron said that he would start talking again in a few weeks, maybe even months... but he hasn't said a word."  
  
"Hm... well I'm sure that our psychiatrist will be able to help him." Kikyo smiled and patted Shippos head. "He specialises in kids."  
  
"And if he can't help?"  
  
"Then... I'd suggest you go to a privately operating doctor for further treatment. But I wouldn't worry, Mrs Kitsune, I've seen cases like this before and its never permanent. Now - would you mind signing some of these forms?"  
  
The woman nodded and leaned against the counter to fill in the boxes, needing Kikyo to help her along because there were so many questions and pages. Shippo calmly looked around, standing patiently behind his new mother.  
  
It wasn't long before Inuyasha came by to drop off the forms for his last patient. "Nothing but forms and fancy words these days..." he grumbled to himself as he dumped them in his tray and turned to leave when a delivery man whistled to get someone's attention. Inuyasha rolled his eyes. It was the usual dog joke... whistle to doctor Inu!  
  
"Hey, Dogtor!" the delivery man called out.  
  
Inuyasha turned slowly and gave him a glare that could have withered a building "Yeah, what?" he snapped curtly.  
  
"Delivery from central labs." The guy held out a box for him. Inuyasha sighed, dropped his folders on the desk and moved to take it. "You need to sign for it too."  
  
Inuyasha all but snatched the clipboard with the form to sign and held his other hand out for a pen to sign it with. The delivery man just shrugged, obviously empty handed. "Typical." Inuyasha remarked, searching his pockets for the odd pen but came up trumps. "Hang on a minute."  
  
He went back to the desk and rifled through Kikyo's carefully maintained paperwork in his search for a pen, but he knew that he'd nicked most of hers and the only one she had was being used by the woman with the little boy. "Hey kid, you got a pen?"  
  
"Yeah, sure, you want it?" Shippo produced one from his coat pocket and held it up.  
  
"Thanks." Inuyasha said absently as he took it and turned back to the delivery man to sign for the package.  
  
Meanwhile, Kikyo and Shippo's mother were both staring at Shippo or Inuyasha with wide-eyed wonder. "Well I'll be..."  
  
Inuyasha slapped the board back onto the delivery man's chest and took the parcel as he began to tear it open. "In future be on time, this package was supposed to be here yesterday. If you're late again I'll have to tell your boss about it... and point out the fact you were your cap like a pansy, got that?"  
  
The man quickly nodded and hurried away.  
  
Shippo's mother was bewildered. "Is this your psychiatrist? He's amazing!"  
  
"Oh no... he just likes kids... and kids like him too." Kikyo smirked. "Right, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Mm." Inuyasha hummed noncommittally as he tried to see inside the box that had been delivered, without actually being able to be accused of opening it.  
  
"This is incredible." His mother crouched down before Shippo and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Say something again."  
  
Shippo just gazed at her, looking bright and alert but not actually saying anything. His mother sighed and stood up. "Thank you for agreeing to treat him, doctor."  
  
"What?" Inuyasha almost dropped the parcel.  
  
Kikyo quickly jumped in. "I mean - cause your so good with kids and everything-"  
  
"What?" Inuyasha repeated.  
  
"And you're the first person to have gotten him to speak." Mrs Kitsune said, watching her adopted son with hope.  
  
"What?!"  
  
"You'll do it, won't you?" Kikyo prodded.  
  
All three looked up at Inuyasha with shining hope and plea. Inuyasha squinted an eye at the little brat and turned to leave. "No."  
  
"Hey, Inuyasha!" Kikyo reeled him back in. "How can you say 'no' to that face?"  
  
They both looked down at the little boy but Inuyasha was quick to look away. "Don't look them straight in the eyes."  
  
"Oh come on." Kikyo put her hands together.  
  
It didn't look like it was going to be easy to squeeze out of this one. "Fine... go on... add another patient into my long list..."  
  
"Thank you!" both nurse and mother gushed with relief.  
  
"I hope you're happy." Inuyasha grumbled. "Because of him some patients with more dire needs might die because they have to wait longer!"  
  
Kikyo smiled at the woman. "He can't wait to start." She translated for him.  
  
Inuyasha just mumbled something rude and turned over the package to see who it was for. It was for Dr Hatsuyo and it definitely looked like the results of some blood test or another. Well, since the old man was too busy to drop by reception, he might as well go drop it off.  
  
"Thanks again, Doctor!" Shippo's mother called after him.  
  
"Yeah." Inuyasha muttered under his breath. "Bite me."  
  
As he had expected, the older doctor was in his office, still busy clearing away his old junk and preparing to clear out completely to take his retirement in the Mediterranean. Lucky sod.  
  
He didn't bother knocking and just barged his way in, stepping through the piles of boxes to reach the doctor who was writing up a report at his desk. "Doctor Hatsuyo, you got a package." He announced.  
  
"Oh thank you, Inuyasha." Dr Hatsuyo took the parcel with a thankful smile started to open it. "Wait - before you whiz off, can I have a word?"  
  
"Depends..." Inuyasha shifted uneasily. "What do you want to say?"  
  
"You know I've always appreciated you as a fine student, especially through the private tutoring and all. You stood above the rest of the other candidates in the universities even."  
  
Inuyasha said nothing. He didn't really like being praised, it made him feel uncomfortable overall.  
  
"And you know I'll be retiring in a few days..." Dr Hatsuyo said slowly.  
  
"Mm..." Inuyasha matched his cautious tone.  
  
"And you know that an experienced doctor like me - I have a lot of patients that I still need to take care of - but unfortunately I won't be able to do that if I'm in the south of France." He said this as he took out some acetate sheets from the parcel as well as some reports. For a moment he paused his speech as he analysed what was shown on the results. In fact he stayed quiet for so long that Inuyasha thought he might have forgotten he was there.  
  
"Anyway, as I was saying, I have one or two patients that I would like to hand over to you." Dr Hatsuyo looked up suddenly.  
  
"Oh crap..."  
  
"Something wrong, Inuyasha?"  
  
"Do you know how many patients I have right now?" Inuyasha sighed. "I'm running half an hour later as we speak - there's only so many places I can be at one time and right now I should be calling one of my patients to get her to go have surgery on her nerves in her arms."  
  
"That's why Kikyo is the nurse." Dr Hatsuyo shrugged simply. "She can rearrange your appointments to fit your schedule."  
  
"Oh yeah, she'll put all the patients with papercuts first and the ones with leukaemia later." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.  
  
"If she wasn't good at her job she would be fired by now. And I only want you to take one patient."  
  
"Is that all."  
  
"She's special."  
  
Inuyasha was quiet as he waited for Dr Hatsuyo to go on.  
  
"Her name's Kagome Higurashi, you saw her the other day and agreed to take her, did you not?"  
  
"What?" that must have been the seventh time today he'd said that.  
  
"During one of your black outs?" Dr Hatsuyo smiled. "Don't worry, she's not too much of a handful, you'll be able to cope with her. She's only a young woman after all. I've seen you handle schizophrenic body-building maniacs with a cool enough head, I'm sure you can take on a young girl."  
  
"Ok..." How hard could that be?  
  
"Great." Dr Hatsuyo clapped the blood test results into Inuyasha's hands. "There's the stuff you need and check with my assistant if you need anything else. Good luck!"  
  
"Ok..." Inuyasha nodded slowly and turned to leave.  
  
The last thing he needed was yet another patient, and he didn't want to rely on Kikyo too heavily to manage his appointments. Why couldn't Dr Hatsuyo given this patient to someone else?  
  
But then again, it might not have been a bad thing since she did seem to have a rather... interesting character, though he hadn't a clue what was wrong with her.  
  
Out of curiosity he opened the folder of blood test results and scanned the page. Most of it was technical blah that even he had trouble understanding sometimes. All he needed to focus on was past all the blocks of text and onto the charts and graphs. For a few minutes he slowly walked along the corridors heading towards his examination room for his next patient, while analysing the results.  
  
Suddenly he stopped dead and went over what he'd just read. He read it again just to be sure before suddenly growling and crunching the tests in his fists. In a matter of seconds he stormed back the way he had come and burst into Dr Hatsuyo's office. "You bastard!"  
  
Dr Hatsuyo turned to face him. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"A problem?! You've given me a dying patient!" Inuyasha threw the results at him angrily. "You knew all along! And you gave her to ME!"  
  
"Is it MY fault that she's dying?" Hatsuyo snapped.  
  
"She has a virus in her blood stream - how the hell is that possible from a bee sting?"  
  
"A new species of bee." Hatsuyo shrugged. "Similar to malaria."  
  
"It's consuming her red blood cells..." Inuyasha glowered at him. "She'll die in a month... give or take a few days."  
  
Hatsuyo sighed deeply and stood up to stand over Inuyasha, partly reminding him that HE was the bigger man in that room. "People die every day Inuyasha. One out of every three people who come to this hospital die at some point. You've been lucky. You haven't had your share of the other two people who live and go home."  
  
Inuyasha glowered at him harder.  
  
"But... I think it's time that you realised your job isn't always going to be about saving people."  
  
"You trying to tell me this is the part of my job where I get to watch my patients die slowly and painfully?" Inuyasha hissed sarcastically.  
  
"No... this is the part of your job where you help them... but you won't save them." Dr Hatsuyo sighed again. "I chose you because you are the best student I ever had. You could cure Cancer if you put your mind to it... maybe you can cure this girl."  
  
"Maybe you should get your head out of your ass and look at the results properly!" Inuyasha snapped. "I can't save her! Why have you given her to me?!"  
  
"Because you hate your patients!" Hatsuyo snapped suddenly.  
  
"Don't be stupid!"  
  
"You treat them and kick them out - everyday in and out." The older man eyed him sternly. "You have to learn to handle them - they ARE people to, you know."  
  
"I know that!"  
  
"Then why do I need to tell you that?!"  
  
"Why do you feel the need you have to tell me that?!"  
  
"Take the girl Inuyasha, look after her and make sure she's happy while she's here. She won't be able to go home with a virus like that so she will be spending the last of her life here... you are going to make sure she's happy."  
  
"This is ME we're talking about. Why can't you give her to someone else - give me one of your patients who will live!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"I've already assigned my patients to other capable doctors. I gave this one to you because I feel you are the only one good enough to find treatment for her." Dr Hatsuyo scowled. "Plus, if you ever want to become a brilliant doctor than you must learn to cope with your patients dying."  
  
"I can't believe you're doing this to me..." Inuyasha clenched his fists. "She'll die in a month - no - less than a month! These tests were taken two days ago - she has an estimated twenty eight days to live now and I have to break it to her and her family!"  
  
"Good luck." Hatsuyo nodded. "Now, aren't you late on your rounds? Get moving."  
  
Inuyasha was all but shoved out of the office and the door slammed inches from his nose. Inuyasha growled and thumped the door angrily. "Thanks a lot!"  
  
After scowling and fuming angrily he decided he really better get moving if he wanted to keep on top of work. He made his way right down to reception to pick up the next patient.  
  
"Kikyo, who's next?" he asked bluntly when he arrived.  
  
Sensing he was in a worse mood than usual she got straight to the point. "Sango dropped by but she went home again because you were keeping her waiting for half an hour. She said something about needing to take the new cat back and get another one before Kohaku got home and would be able to tell the difference."  
  
"Whatever..."  
  
"So you have a half hour free until the next patient arrives seeing as Sango cancelled."  
  
"My heart is soaring."  
  
"No need for sarcasm, Inuyasha." Kikyo sighed and smiled as a couple walked into the entrance. "Hello."  
  
"Hi, we're the Tokio's, we're here to pick up the pictures of our baby." The woman said, smiling and holding a protective hand over her stomach while the husband held her hand and smiled.  
  
"Of course - who was your doctor?"  
  
"Him." The woman turned to Inuyasha who looked up, non-plussed for a moment.  
  
"Oh yes..." Inuyasha suddenly smirked slowly. "The baby..."  
  
"You said you'd have ultrasound pictures from the sonogram you did last Monday." The woman smiled.  
  
"I also have the results of your husbands fertility test." Inuyasha said bluntly and started to walk away. "Sorry, he's sterile, he's not the father, have a nice day now!"  
  
He left world war three to break out behind him while going off in search of Dr Hatsuyo's patient. He found her in the same room, still hooked up to the heart monitor with her family gathered around her.  
  
He sighed as he remembered Dr Hatsuyo's words about how he should be civil to patients. He'd forgotten it just a second ago, but maybe he should concentrate on getting it right this time. He walked into the room without knocking and the family turned to see him. The girl's mother frowned. "Are you lost, young man?"  
  
Inuyasha sighed and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "No, I'm a doctor here, my name's Inuyasha and since Dr Hatsuyo is retiring soon he's given custody of his patient to me."  
  
The middle aged woman and the old man in the room suddenly exchanged glances that clearly said they had misgivings. Inuyasha didn't bother holding back the roll of the eyes then. "Would you step outside, I'd like to speak to you - the boy can stay in here."  
  
He wouldn't break the news to the kid like he would to the adults since it was the parents jobs to teach their kids about death, not the doctors. Inuyasha stepped out quickly but clearly heard the quick exchange in the room behind him.  
  
"This is ridiculous!" the mother hissed quietly. "He's nearly half my age."  
  
"He can't be qualified."  
  
That was ok, he got that a lot. It didn't really bother him anyway since they usually ate their words later on. Finally they joined him outside and Inuyasha folded his arms and tried to think how best to phrase this.  
  
"You're aware that your daughter had her blood taken for testing two days ago, right?" Inuyasha frowned.  
  
"Yes," Mrs Higurashi nodded with a frown of her own, clearly frustrated and anxious.  
  
"I got the results back a little while ago... and I am sorry to say it isn't good news."  
  
Both adults inhaled quickly and looked even more worried before. "How bad is it?"  
  
"Kagome has a virus... a rather vicious one that's spreading through her body." He wasn't going to go into details or descriptions because they wouldn't understand him. "The virus will spread through her systems and affect the cells in her muscles, at the current rate of action by the virus... it will... damage her body irreparably in less than a month... twenty eight days at the most."  
  
"What does that mean?" Mrs Higurashi asked, as stricken look on her face.  
  
"It means..." this was the first time he'd had to say it to anyone... he had to choose his words carefully. "Your daughter has only twenty eight days or so to live... I'm sorry..."  
  
For a while they said nothing.  
  
"That's not possible, you're lying." Her mother quickly began shaking her head "Who the hell are you to say this?!"  
  
"A doctor, what does it look like?" there was only so much his patience could handle, and he was stressed enough as it was.  
  
"She can't be dying." The grandfather was also shaking his head. "We want the old doctor back."  
  
"The old doctor can't do anything for her now - so you're stuck with me." Inuyasha knew he better leave before they suckered him with the blame for this. "I'm sorry, I have another patient to attend to. Please think about what I said."  
  
He left down the corridor before they could try and pin the blame further, he didn't need to be in that kind of position. As soon as he rounded a corner he stopped and leaned against the wall where he was out of sight.  
  
It was harder than he'd thought. How many times had he been told that informing family of imminent death of patients was difficult and painful... but he'd thought it was supposed to be difficult for the family, not the doctor. Maybe he wasn't such a brilliant doctor as he'd thought...  
  
But now this girl had just topped his patient priority list... and she was the one girl he wouldn't be able to help...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: need to revise - bye!) 


	4. Psycho Babble

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. And I swear lots of people were injured during the making of this fic. It IS a hospital after all.  
  
(A/N: Well, my mum's gone and packed off to America to see my grandma and her sister - so if anyone's in the Phoenix area of Arizona look out for her! But I'm guessing that's a big place to look... anyway, now I'm stuck at home with an anti-domestic father and my sister has pickled back off to university. So who has to feed dad? Me! And the only thing I can cook is toast! And even then it gets burnt! I seriously don't think we're going to survive the next week...)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Psycho Babble  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The waiting room was full, the front desk was busy and finally one of the other nurses was helping Kikyo out by managing the appointments and filing system.  
  
"Ooh - it's like the embassy hotel in here." One elderly woman noted as Kikyo's helper nurse started to lead her towards the examination room.  
  
"We do try our best to make your stay as pleasant as possible." The nurse said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, cause it'll probably be the last thing you see." Inuyasha said rather carelessly as he passed by, coming back from his lunch break.  
  
A pen snapped against the side of his head, aimed from Kikyo's direction and he winced "Ow... oh! Pen! I needed one of those..."  
  
He bent down and picked it up and continued to the front desk.  
  
"You're a horrible little boy, you know that?" Kikyo said rather stonily. "Do you deliberately try to give all the residents here heart attacks?"  
  
"Only if they're old." He shrugged and leaned against the desk as he reread his schedule for the afternoon. "Oh goody... Sango's back today."  
  
"Maybe you can negotiate for her to see Miroku?" Kikyo suddenly stopped. "Actually... I think I better negotiate with her this time..."  
  
"Mm hm..."  
  
She couldn't be sure whether or not he was actually listening to her since he seemed too busy flapping one of those paper tube packets of sugar that people always stole from the canteen. "Why do you always steal those?"  
  
"Might have a sugar shortage in my apartment." He shrugged. "It happens."  
  
"No it doesn't."  
  
"Shut up. If it happens, it happens. You can't stop it."  
  
Suddenly the packet ripped and spilled white sugar granules all over the floor. "Ah shit... can't believe I just dropped all my anthrax..."  
  
A lull had gone around the waiting room at that very moment, and after a silent beat, there was a flurry of movement as everyone charged out the exit doors. When the door had finally closed behind the mob, the only sound to be heard was Inuyasha's poorly suppressed laughter.  
  
Kikyo gaped in shock. "What was that?!"  
  
"THAT was pure genius." He snapped his folder down on the table.  
  
"That was evil - where do you get off, Inuyasha?" Kikyo snapped back.  
  
Just then Miroku rounded the corner into reception. All he had to do was take one look at the empty waiting room to figure what had happened. He shook his head as he came over. "Let me guess... you scared off the patients again."  
  
"They'll be back." Inuyasha didn't bother looking up at him from his files.  
  
"I bet you can't make it through the week without insulting, scaring, terrifying, traumatising and angering patients." Miroku said in an off hand way.  
  
"Oh yeah? Sure I could." Inuyasha glared across at him. "Any day."  
  
"Alright, if you're so cocky - let's make it this week." Miroku declared.  
  
Inuyasha stared at him, a little concerned about what he'd just let himself in for. "What?"  
  
"Every time you insult, bitch about, scare off or antagonise a patient this week..." Miroku grabbed Kikyo's pen cup and tipped out the pens, ignoring her indignant spluttering, and held it up. "You have to put a hundred yen in this."  
  
Inuyasha glared at him a moment before quickly covering it up with cockiness. "Fine. I think you'll be surprised to find that that cup will be pretty empty by the end of the week."  
  
"By the end of the week you will be a poor man, my friend." Miroku clapped him on the shoulder and set the cup down on the higher platform of the desk. "Kikyo - no putting pens in that thing."  
  
"THIS is how I lose all my pens!" Kikyo growled from where she was picking up the ones on the floor.  
  
"You're on." Inuyasha grabbed his files and swept past them with dignity. "You'll see... I'm not a rage addict..."  
  
Well, seeing as he'd just scared off half of his patients for that afternoon, he realised he had plenty of time to go about doing some stuff he needed to catch up on. The thing at the top of that list was Kagome Higurashi.  
  
Of course, when he arrived her mother and grandfather were visiting again which meant he had to talk to them... of all the luck...  
  
"Mrs Higurashi...?" he announced as he entered, trying really hard for once to keep a civil tongue in his head.  
  
The older woman looked around at him and suddenly was standing before him in an eye blink. "About what you said yesterday-"  
  
"Mrs-"  
  
"We want a second opinion." She looked up at him hopefully.  
  
Inuyasha sighed and stepped around her and into the room. "If you want a second opinion, go see Dr Hatsuyo. He was the one who confirmed it before me." He glanced at the girl in the bed... definitely still unconscious. "Of course, he'll be on the plane to France by now..."  
  
"There has to be some mistake." Kagome's mother shook her head with her thoughts. "She's only seventeen! How can she be dying?!"  
  
"I told you... it's a virus that's invaded her blood. At the current rate of growth it'll shut down her body in a month or so." Inuyasha sighed. "I'm really sorry... but that's all there is to it."  
  
"There must be something you can do to stop this!" the girl's Grandfather suddenly got to his feet. "Some cure you have that'll save her!"  
  
It looked like the older man was closer to accepting it than the mother. But his comments weren't helping much either.  
  
"Look - I still have a month to run more tests and find possible treatment for her condition. I've never seen a virus like this before so it isn't going to be easy for me, you know-"  
  
"Of course you haven't seen one like it - you're so young! How could you have all the necessary experience!" Mrs Higurashi interrupted.  
  
Count to three... one... two... three... actually... better make that ten. Inuyasha took a deep breath to keep a hold of his waning patience. "I may be young, but right now I'm the closest thing to a doctor in this room - I know what I'm talking about."  
  
"Then heal her!"  
  
"It's not that simple!" Inuyasha clenched his fist, mainly to try and temper himself. "Your daughter has a real problem - not just a case of the flu - look at her! She's in a coma! That's not a small thing to experience! She might never wake up from that sleep!"  
  
Mrs Higurashi paled and sealed her lips.  
  
"I know what I'm talking about. I've been a doctor since I was eighteen and old enough to take the 'doctor' exam, ok?" Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Unfortunately the cure for Kagome's illness wasn't one of the questions, so don't mind me and the rest of the medical department to wonder what the hell is wrong with her."  
  
Grandpa looked like he was about to boil over, but the mother seemed to have calmed a little.  
  
"The chances of someone getting a brand new illness like this must be one in a million. So don't come whining to me about second opinions and cures - because first of all we don't have a name for it!" he snapped at them both. "And if I were you both, I would leave right now and play out the rest of my luck on lottery tickets ok?"  
  
"You can't tell us what to do!" the old man fumed.  
  
"Yes I can, if it's in the interests of my patient." Inuyasha stepped back and kicked the door open. "According to the nurse you've been overstaying your visiting hours. That isn't helping Kagome - so you better leave. If you want, come back tomorrow, but no sooner."  
  
A few moments of duelling glares later and the family stomped out in a rather heavy mood. Obviously they didn't like being told what to do by a young man no less...  
  
Inuyasha sighed when they were gone and turned back to finish what he'd come for.  
  
"Inuyasha..." Miroku called from the doorway. Inuyasha whipped around to face him and fixed his eyes on the pen pot being held out.  
  
"Fuck you..." Inuyasha muttered as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Go buy yourself a life, asshole."  
  
"You know... for that you should probably pay up again." Miroku smiled and jangled the pot.  
  
"You're not a patient, so piss off." Inuyasha glowered. "Now!"  
  
Miroku just shrugged and wandered away.  
  
Once alone, sort of, Inuyasha's nerves began to calm and he sighed deeply and went about jotting down Kagome's vitals on her file. Her heart rate was normal... blood pressure normal... everything was pretty normal apart from the fact she was in a coma. That just wasn't normal.  
  
Yep, she looked like she was in perfect health. And if she would just wake up then she would be in even more perfect health. When he'd finished taking down her vitals and scribbling stuff on the clipboard at the end of her bed, he spotted the variety of gifts that had been set out on the bedside table. Chocolate, cards, flowers... fruits... and... more chocolate...  
  
Feeling that she wouldn't exactly miss one little chocolate he happily toddled over and carefully opened the box to peek inside. Strawberry flavour - how had they known his favourite?! He picked one of the largest ones and popped it in his mouth. It occurred to him that he really should be getting on with his rounds... but chocolate usually came before patients in his book.  
  
However, he began choking on the chocolate the minute the steady blipping of the heart monitor suddenly went and flat-lined. He spun at once, ready to start to CPR if need be, only to find that Kagome was gently stirring and shifting against the covers. For a moment he was confused as the droning of the monitor in the background went on... before he realised the little pulse monitors that had been stuck over the ends of her fingers had fallen off and were, of course, receiving no pulse.  
  
With a big sigh of relief he reached over and turned the machine off before it gave him a headache and looked down at the gently rousing girl.  
  
"Kagome, are you awake?" he asked loudly, knowing that sometimes comatose patients found it a little hard to hear when they woke up.  
  
She slowly blinked open her eyes and fixed her gaze on his face. Recognition didn't flicker and she frowned for a moment.  
  
"It's ok, you won't remember me. You don't know me." He checked her temperature and pulse again. "Do you remember everything else?"  
  
Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment before slowly nodding, almost uncertainly.  
  
"You've probably forgotten at least something, but you don't remember you've forgotten it." He smiled slightly. "That's ok, it'll come back to you."  
  
Kagome made a gesture that she wanted a drink but Inuyasha shook his head. "Not yet, wait at least half an hour before you start taking in fluids. A couple of hours yet before you can eat again, ok?"  
  
Kagome nodded with a grim expression.  
  
"Ok... I have to go now but the nurse will be around constantly to check on you. Whether that's good or bad is your choice." He started for the door.  
  
"I remember you now." Kagome croaked and he turned to see her smiling weakly. "You're that guy... from the canteen."  
  
"I'm your new doctor."  
  
Kagome stared at him. "What happened to the old one?"  
  
"He retired."  
  
"Damn... how long have I been asleep for?" she frowned, looking around for a clock.  
  
"Two days, don't worry." Inuyasha winked at her. "I'll be by later, ok?"  
  
"Ok..." Kagome smiled and waited until he was gone before carefully taking off the electrode pads stuck to her chest and temples. No way was she just going to lay there for hours on end. She had stuff to do, people to call, University lectures to attend...  
  
Meanwhile Inuyasha was back at reception. "You know what I hate?" he asked grumpily when he arrived.  
  
"I have a list somewhere..." Kikyo muttered.  
  
"Cats?" Sango said from where she was leaning against the desk.  
  
"No." Inuyasha frowned at her.  
  
"Delivery men." Kikyo guessed wildly.  
  
"No!"  
  
"Kids." Sango shrugged.  
  
"Patients." Kikyo guessed again.  
  
"The cafeteria staff when they say they've run out of salads, but in actual fact they're just hiding them under the counter to keep for themselves." Sango asked. "I know you hate that."  
  
"No!" Inuyasha grouched. "I hate it when-"  
  
"When families assume to know better than you?" Miroku said from behind him. "Feel free to bitch, Inuyasha."  
  
Inuyasha's eyebrow ticked. "Actually... I absolutely detest it when people drown kittens." He made up and stomped over to pick his schedule up. "Ok... you're next Sango."  
  
"Yippee." Sango said with the enthusiasm of someone who'd been awake for seven days straight. Which means not a lot of enthusiasm.  
  
Steering her away from Miroku he frog-marched her into one of the free examination rooms and pointed to the table. "Any new problems?"  
  
"No. I just want to get surgery again." She said, hopping up onto the raised table. "Just not with that sleaze-bag Miroku."  
  
"Here, here." Inuyasha grumbled and got out his reflex hammer. "Arms out."  
  
"Is something bothering you?" Sango asked, catching a hint of his mood as she complied. "You seem even grumpier than usual."  
  
"I always look like this."  
  
"No you don't."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"No - you don't!"  
  
"Look - I think I know my face better than you - so just shut up and let me do my job."  
  
"That's another hundred yen Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted from down the hall.  
  
"What, have you got me bugged or something?!" Inuyasha yelled back before slamming the door shut. "Where was I...?"  
  
"About to confess to what was bothering you?" Sango tried.  
  
"No... I think we were at the elbow." Inuyasha tapped the nerve centre there, but she didn't react.  
  
"Let me guess... one of the patients is giving you a tough time." She guessed.  
  
"Shut up, you're not my psychiatrist." Inuyasha snapped.  
  
"Actually..." Sango smiled slowly.  
  
Inuyasha snapped a glare on her. "Just stop talking right there - I KNOW you're not a psychiatrist! That's impossible! You're a guidance counsellor!"  
  
"Yeah, but you have to get a degree in psychology to get that job." Sango smirked. "Well - I'm listening?"  
  
Inuyasha wasn't stupid enough to get himself into one of these conversations. He just shut his mouth and decided that was the best way to keep from spilling the truth to her. "Bend your arms."  
  
"So, is it a girl or a boy?" she said as she complied.  
  
"And straighten them again..."  
  
"Old or young...?"  
  
"Can you twist them this way?"  
  
Sango twisted. "Crazy or sane."  
  
"Sane."  
  
"Conscious or unconscious?"  
  
"Conscious."  
  
"Girl or boy?"  
  
"Girl."  
  
"Young or old?"  
  
"Young - hang on!" Inuyasha dropped his hands and stepped back. "Stop that!"  
  
"Stop what?" Sango asked innocently.  
  
"That brain control thing! It isn't funny!" Inuyasha snapped. "You know I don't like that brain schitzo crap!"  
  
"Oh calm down, it's just called fast talking." Sango rolled her eyes. "So what's her name?"  
  
"How come you know it's a girl?"  
  
"You just said."  
  
Inuyasha couldn't remember what he'd just said and scowled. "I can't tell you that."  
  
"Oh come on, who am I gonna tell?" Sango scoffed.  
  
"Her name isn't important." He snapped. "It's what's wrong with her is what the problem is."  
  
"What's wrong with her?" Sango asked softly as he began examining her wrists again, but didn't seem to focused on the task at hand.  
  
"Some virus I've never seen before..."  
  
Sango said nothing for a while. "Is she gonna die?"  
  
Inuyasha's jaw clenched as he glared angrily at her wrists. He nodded.  
  
"And... she didn't take the news well?"  
  
"I haven't told her yet. She only woke up from a coma a little while ago." Inuyasha's hands and dropped to rest against the table. "Her family didn't take it well."  
  
"Let me guess... they want you to break it to her?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded again, refusing to look up at her. "They think she'll hold it against them if they tell her..."  
  
"Won't she just hold it against you instead."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"But she needs to trust you if you're going to be her doctor." Sango frowned.  
  
Inuyasha snorted as he moved off and dropped the hammer back into the metal dish with a clatter. "What's the point? If she's going to die anyway..."  
  
"She might not..."  
  
"She will." He said shortly.  
  
Sango pressed her lips together and eyed him. "You don't... lose a lot of patients do you?"  
  
"Never."  
  
"This is really bothering you, isn't it."  
  
"Of course not." He growled.  
  
"How long do you think she'll...?"  
  
"A month."  
  
"Ouch." Sango looked down at her hands and numbly tried to flex her fingers absently. "If it's any consolation... I don't think this'll change the fact that you're a great doctor."  
  
"That won't change the fact that she'll die."  
  
Sango glanced up at him, noting the sulky tone in his voice. "If you can't take a patient dying then are you sure you can handle this job?"  
  
Inuyasha was about to berate her on telling him how to do his job when he realised she knew what she was talking about. "Whatever... you're arms are still wrecked by the way. You need surgery again."  
  
Sango accepted the change in topic easily enough. "Ok."  
  
"I'm making an appointment for you and Miroku to talk." He heard her start to protest but cut her off with a glare. "You WILL go see him. And if you don't I won't treat you anymore. He's working for your own good remember?"  
  
"Bull." Sango said shortly.  
  
She could say things like that all the time, but everyone who knew Sango also knew that she had soft feelings for the surgeon she apparently 'detested'. She would normally have jumped at the chance to get an appointment with Miroku... but she'd been hurt last time she'd seen him dallying with one of the nurses. Obviously.  
  
Miroku was such a block head that he hadn't noticed this yet.  
  
Not that Inuyasha was going to shed some light on him.  
  
"I'm late, you better go home." Inuyasha said bluntly, eyeing his watch. "I'll get Miroku to call you."  
  
"Don't give him my number!"  
  
"He already has it." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "He has every girls' number. His contact book could be used as the new yellow pages."  
  
"Right, right..." Sango hurried as he ushered her from the room. Just before she left reception she looked back at him and smiled consolingly. "Don't worry about the girl, ok?"  
  
"Whatever - just go!" he waved her off.  
  
"What was that about?" Kikyo asked casually.  
  
"Doesn't matter." He said with a shrug and turned to the waiting room that had slowly began to fill up. "Mr Sensati? You're up."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: better order some take out now...) 


	5. Lost and Found

Disclaimer: bored... bored... bored... what to do? Write a disclaimer? That's like being told to clean your room...  
  
(A/N: I'm bored... so instead of revising - I think I'll do some writing ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Lost and Found  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Shippo's here." Kikyo informed Inuyasha when he arrived back at reception to drop off even more forms for her to file.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So I want you to take him around with you and get him talking." Kikyo pointed to the kid that was sat on the counter practically as eye level with everyone.  
  
"No can do, I have a busy schedule and he ain't on it." Inuyasha pointed to his board.  
  
Kikyo's response was to snatch it off him and scribble down something between two of his patients and hand it back. "Yes he is - right there, see?"  
  
"You just wrote that!" Inuyasha snapped.  
  
"Duh!" she rolled her eyes and picked up the phone that had begun to ring. "Hello Shikon Hospital, Sister Kikyo speaking...?"  
  
Inuyasha sighed and collected some of the customary forms he had to fill in. "You ever gone on rounds, brat?"  
  
Shippo just shook his head without speaking.  
  
"It's boring. And do you know how many forms I have to fill in per patient?"  
  
Another shake of the head.  
  
"Too fucking many." Inuyasha growled as he sorted them in order.  
  
Kikyo's eyebrows raised at the caller. "What am I wearing? Clothes... What are you wearing?"  
  
Inuyasha pointed to Kikyo. "And this is what we call a nymphomaniac."  
  
"Nymph-o-maniac..." Shippo echoed and grinned at Inuyasha.  
  
"What, you want a cookie for that? Get real - and get down from there." He told the kid who quickly hopped off the counter.  
  
Kikyo slammed down the phone and tapped her watch. "Get going or you'll be late!"  
  
"Wow, who woke up on the wrong side of the cardboard box this morning, eh?" Inuyasha ducked another flying pen and briskly started walking in the direction of the patient wards. "Now listen, whelp, when I talk to patients, you don't ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I'll have a real problem with keeping quiet." Shippo retorted.  
  
Great, now he was getting even more cheek off patients - and little kids no less! As if his day could get any suckier.  
  
"Just keep it quiet." Inuyasha grumbled as he stopped at one of the doors, he pushed it open wearily. "This one's Kagome Higurashi and she is..." he trailed off.  
  
"Not in here?" Shippo finished for him.  
  
"Oh shit." Inuyasha looked around and ran a hand over his face with a pained expression.  
  
"Well this bites." Shippo commented. "Do all your patients try to escape first chance they get?"  
  
"You know, just shut up and stay in here." Inuyasha pushed the smaller kid into the room and shut the door behind him before he could escape. Hopefully he'd be too short to reach the handle. That would teach him for being a wise ass.  
  
Now... he had to go search for yet another patient. And this one was younger than the last one, so she'd probably be able to travel further away. Funnily enough, no matter how fast or slow, or how old or young the patient was... they always ended up in the same place.  
  
"I though I might find you up here." Inuyasha said behind where Kagome sat eating a sandwich. She jumped guiltily and glanced over her shoulder.  
  
"Is that you, Gabriel?" she feigned wonder at the sight of him. "Come to lead me to the gates of hell - I mean... heaven?"  
  
"Not funny." He said sharply, getting a déjà vu feeling from this. He shook it off and sat down opposite her. She was still wearing her hospital night gown that fastened at the back and still had her IV needle in her hand, so at least she hadn't rebelled completely. "What are you doing up? I thought I told you to stay in bed."  
  
"No you didn't." Kagome chewed her sandwich slowly. "I've only ever spoken to you like... for a whole sixty seconds - during which time you insulted my hair, clothes, and told me my doctor had retired so you'd be taking over. You haven't exactly been the bearer of good news to me, you know."  
  
"You must have amnesia." Inuyasha shrugged. "I definitely told you to stay in bed."  
  
"Are you sure you're a doctor?" Kagome leaned forward, narrowing her eyes critically. "How old are you exactly?"  
  
"It's rude to ask someone that."  
  
"It's also rude to comment on people's appearance." She smiled briefly. "So what's the hair? Do you dye it that colour or is it 'all natural'."  
  
Great... now she was quoting him too.  
  
"For your information - it's 'all natural'." He made quotation marks with his hands.  
  
"Ok..." she said slowly. "That's just a little strange... so what else? Are you really like fifty years old? Is that why you're a doctor? And you have plastic surgery to cling desperately to your dying youth?"  
  
"Who says it's dying?" Inuyasha sat up sharply. "My face is all natural too."  
  
"And you had hair extensions too - is that because they make you live as a woman for a year before the final operation?"  
  
He couldn't believe someone was actually out-insulting him here - a feat considered impossible according to Miroku. "Listen, girl-"  
  
"So how old are you... really?" Kagome interrupted with a smile. "I'm not being rude, I swear. I'm just interested."  
  
He watched her carefully a moment before answering. "Twenty."  
  
Kagome frowned with a disbelieving smile. "Yeah right, and I'm a Christmas Turkey."  
  
"Better roll out the garlic stuffing then."  
  
"No seriously, how old are you?"  
  
"I told you." He shrugged. "Is it that hard to believe?"  
  
"Yes! Considering it takes six years in med. school to get a qualification and then you have to get recommendations and then they have to find work at a hospital which isn't exactly a walk in the park. You'd have to be eighteen to get into med. school in the first place... so you should be at least twenty four."  
  
"Alright - you know too much." He said shortly. "That's way too smart for you to know."  
  
Kagome smiled placidly. "So you really are fifty aren't you? You act like it."  
  
Patience was wearing thin again, "How come you know all that crap?"  
  
"Because I thought about being a doctor for a while." Kagome shrugged nonchalantly. "It sparked my interest, and when I was looking for med. Schools to attend, I came across a university that studied law."  
  
"You mean... you're attending law school now?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Inuyasha quickly made a sign of a cross on his chest. Kagome scoffed. "What's wrong with that?"  
  
"Lawyers..." Inuyasha shuddered. "They make my skin crawl..."  
  
Kagome was stumped for a moment before catching on. "I get it... Question one of the doctor test: How do you not get sued for malpractice? I guess you get sued a lot."  
  
"No, actually." Inuyasha folded his arms.  
  
When he was having a conversation with a girl like this it was easy to forget she was a patient... and a dying patient at that. It suddenly occurred to him what he was supposed to be doing right then, and it wasn't flirting... no, no... not flirting... just talking...  
  
"Come on, you have to get back to your room before the nurses discover you're gone and want me to pay for it." He stood up.  
  
"Oh right, I forgot you doctors were scared of the nurses around her." She coughed behind her hand a cough that sounded suspiciously like 'wuss'.  
  
"Not scared... just cautious..." he squared his shoulders. "You piss off a nurse and they quit. Quitting nurses mean less nurses. Less nurses means more work for doctors."  
  
"Scaredy-cat." Kagome shrugged. "You seem like the type to bully a nurse."  
  
"Like I said, bully a nurse and then you get bitten by blood-sucking lawyers like you. But you can steal stuff from them... that's allowed." He smiled pleasantly. "Now lets go."  
  
"But I haven't finished my sandwich yet!" she protested.  
  
"So? You shouldn't even be eating! I told you not to." He saw her open her mouth to protest again. "No - I KNOW I definitely told you not to eat."  
  
"For a few hours!" Kagome shuffled along the bench, away from him. "I was starving and it's been way over twelve hours since I woke up!"  
  
"You should have checked with me!"  
  
"Well you weren't calling in on me! I thought you'd been hit by a runaway hospital bed or something - I wouldn't know." Kagome held her sandwich closer. "Besides, the only visitors I was getting were nurses and they kept coming in every five minutes through the night checking I was ok. See these bags?"  
  
"They're hard to miss."  
  
"I have them because I got absolutely no sleep last night." Kagome huffed. "You're lucky I didn't just runaway in the middle of the night to get forty winks."  
  
"Whatever, will you just go back to bed. I don't like you wondering around - especially when I have important stuff to do around here." He folded his arms. "I don't have time to be continually chasing after patients."  
  
"Hold on." she jammed the last of her sandwich into her mouth and gave him two thumbs up to show she was ready whilst chewing.  
  
He shook his head slightly and rolled his eyes. "Get moving then."  
  
Kagome stood up, not bothering to hurry on his account and followed him to the elevator. They stepped inside and the doors slid close. Kagome looked around. "Wow, this things enormous..."  
  
"Has to be." He shrugged. "To allow beds inside."  
  
"Oh yeah..." Kagome nodded, remembering the stuff she'd read in books and seen in medical dramas on TV. She glanced at her appearance in the mirror opposite and pulled a face. She looked paler than normal and her hair was looking unusual flat and less bouncy. Still... she looked acceptable.  
  
"Like what you see?" Inuyasha smirked as she examined her reflection.  
  
"I just look too cute in this shapeless gown!" Kagome chided before giving him a flat look. "When do I get my normal clothes back?"  
  
"When you stop slipping in and out of comas." He replied as the doors opened.  
  
She followed him until they reached her room and opened the door. "Oops - I thought this was my room." She said when she saw a small boy sitting on her bed.  
  
"No, it is." Inuyasha pushed her inside. "Shippo - get you ass off that bed and get out here!"  
  
"You took your sweet time!" Shippo grouched.  
  
"I'll drop by later, ok?" Inuyasha told her before ushering Shippo away with him.  
  
Kagome sighed and sat on the bed to dangle her legs over the side. "They always say that... but they never call you up..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Work."  
  
"What are you doing now?"  
  
"Work." Inuyasha deadpanned again.  
  
"What about now?"  
  
"Work."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "running tests on Kagome's blood."  
  
"What are you doing?"  
  
"Stabbing small children and chopping them up with a cleaver to distribute to third world countries that are VERY hungry..." Inuyasha slanted a glare at Shippo. "Don't you ever shut up?"  
  
"Sure I do!" Shippo pretended to zip his lips. "See, I'm shutting up right now. You won't hear a peep out of me! I can be quiet when I want. See?"  
  
Inuyasha just clenched his jaw and continued to drop small amounts of Kagome's blood onto glass slides and adding chemicals. He repeated this for what seemed the seventy-eighth time and darted Shippo a glare before sliding the blood under a microscope lens.  
  
With a sigh he looked in the top and squinted as he waited for something the happen. He could see the virus and he could see the chemical compound solution he'd added... nothing was happening. They were all just swimming around like they were at the swimming baths.  
  
"This is BORING!" Shippo suddenly yelled.  
  
Inuyasha slammed a fist down on the table, about to yell, when he noticed Miroku was working across the table from him, the pen pot ready and waiting by his side. Inuyasha turned that frown upside down and rapped his fingers against the table. "Shippo... dear boy?"  
  
"Can we do something else? You've been sitting on your ass for an hour and I am bored stiff!"  
  
That was nothing compared to how Inuyasha's back felt right then. He was yet to find some sort of treatment that would cure Kagome's virus... but so far it wasn't looking very promising. He'd tried almost every chemical in the lab and there was still no sign of a cure.  
  
"Go play then." Inuyasha told Shippo with a hint of annoyance.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"I don't know... cyanide?" Inuyasha shrugged as he absently swished a bottle of Xycrophobin to ready it for use. "Either that or a pellet gun..."  
  
"Don't see any." Shippo promptly dropped to the floor and started rolling back and forth. Well it seemed to keep him amused so Inuyasha left him to it.  
  
Miroku looked up from where he was doing a crossword puzzle. "Shouldn't you be using gloves?"  
  
"Yeah." Inuyasha shrugged, ignoring his implied warning.  
  
"Don't want to catch that nasty virus do you?"  
  
"Depends... maybe it'll give me added incentive to find a cure if I do." Inuyasha replied, now beginning to bounce the bottle from hand to hand. "You seen Sango yet?"  
  
"She didn't come in for her appointment." Miroku said, before suddenly snapping his fingers. "That reminds me - she said you snapped at her at least twice during her examination - that means..." he shoved the half full pot forward with a jangle.  
  
"You have got to be kidding me..." Inuyasha groaned.  
  
"Two hundred Yen please."  
  
Inuyasha grumbled and forked out two coins. "This better be going to the drowning kittens or orphans or whatever..."  
  
"Sure..." Miroku wasn't bothered which way or another, meaning this money was hopping straight from Inuyasha's pocket to Miroku's.  
  
Inuyasha started to make another slide with a tiny drop of Kagome's blood when Shippo started to disturb him again. "And so he awakens... from a six year long coma... to find... he hasn't aged a day."  
  
Inuyasha looked down slowly at Shippo who was lying stock still on the floor with his eyes closed and doing his own narration. Slowly Shippo sat up and looked around as if in confusion. "Who am I? Where am I?"  
  
"Oh my god..." Inuyasha's hand went to cover his eyes.  
  
Shippo's commentary went on. "A fifteen year old... trapped within the body of a nine year old... without realising it." He got up and walking over to one of the glass cabinets to see his reflection. "Is that my face?"  
  
"Hey!" Miroku perked up. "I used to play the coma game too!"  
  
Shippo jumped around. "Isn't it cool?"  
  
Inuyasha was doing his best to ignore those two morons now and had carefully added the Xycrophobin to the blood to slide it under the microscope. He stared at the reaction for a moment before new movement caught his eye. The Xycrophobin was moving to absorb the virus around the red blood cells... surrounding it and trapping it inside its own walls.  
  
"I got it!" he suddenly yelled out.  
  
Very suddenly the slide disappeared from view and he sat back, blinking, wondering where the heck it had gone.  
  
"What have you got?" Shippo said, eyeing the slide critically. "I hope it's not contagious..."  
  
"Gimme that!" Inuyasha swiped it off him before brandishing it before Miroku. "Am I a genius or am I a genius?"  
  
"You found a cure?" Miroku looked slightly amazed.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Maybe?" Miroku echoed.  
  
"I'm not sure yet, but it seems to have stopped the virus in it's tracks..."  
  
There was a tinkling sound of smashing glass and they both looked up to see Shippo had dropped two beakers of interestingly coloured liquids on the floor. "Oops."  
  
Inuyasha recognised them at once. "Oh you didn't!"  
  
The two chemicals ran together...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"You go home - and you start TALKING to your mother ok?" Inuyasha growled as he continued to try and wipe all the black smoke off his face and hair. "I don't ever want to see you back at this hospital unless its for a vasectomy, got that?"  
  
"Vasectomy... got it." Shippo continued to scrub his own face of the black smoke caused by the little accident in the lab. He suddenly stopped and looked thoughtful. "Although..."  
  
"What?" Inuyasha scowled at him.  
  
"Don't I get something for all my trouble?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh come on!" Shippo pleaded. "I stayed at hospital all day and I don't get a souvenir?"  
  
"No."  
  
"How about your stethoscope?"  
  
"No!" Inuyasha fingered his stethoscope fondly. "That's my doctor thing - you can't have it!"  
  
"Oh..." Shippo bunched his fists. "You gotta give me somethin or... or... or - I won't talk to mom!"  
  
"Oh you'll talk!" Inuyasha raised a menacing fist.  
  
"No I won't! It's not hard to keep quiet, ya know." Shippo scowled. "Give me chocolate!"  
  
"No."  
  
"Someone's spleen?"  
  
"God, no!"  
  
"Oh come on!" Shippo squealed. "You gotta give me something or I'll be back tomorrow."  
  
Inuyasha stiffened.  
  
"I'll take your cool doctor pen." Shippo said casually.  
  
"My pen?" he looked down at his pen and frowned. "But it's my favourite..."  
  
"Fine... keep the damn pen... and I'll be back tomorrow." Shippo folded his arms.  
  
Inuyasha chewed his lip before growling and dropped it into Shippo's hands. "Fine! Now get lost and don't come back!"  
  
Shippo happily skipped off through the door to the examination room the same moment Kikyo entered. She watched the boy skip off and looked up accusingly at Inuyasha. "Did you just give him my pen?"  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Now I'm back to being bored...) 


	6. Five Stages

Disclaimer: I still plan to black mail Rumiko Takahashi, or at least bribe her... maybe threaten... maybe kidnap. But then again, I'm probably too nice to be that mean...  
  
(A/N: People kept asking 'why the bees?' And my answer is... why not? I didn't want to turned this into a fic with a sub plot of 'let's go kill Naraku because he killed Kagome' so a bee did it instead. I suppose it could have been a snake... but they're pretty scary...  
  
Plus, I just want you to know that the whole dying part of this fic isn't going to be taken lightly because I do take death seriously since my oldest cousin recently died in a car crash - which he caused. So no jokes will be made about Kagome dying ^_^  
  
Anyway, on with the fic.)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Five Stages  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Fei!" Inuyasha burst into her lab with a fairly pleased look.  
  
"If you've come to tell me about the pen shortage down in reception - I know!" she said quickly. "Kikyo complained already."  
  
"No, it's not that." Inuyasha snapped a glass slide down on top of her paperwork. "I found a cure!"  
  
"To what? A cold?" she peered up at him over her spectacles. "Cause I probably need one of those round about-"  
  
"No - don't you pay any attention?" he rolled his eyes impatiently. "You know that girl that came in a few days ago - the one that kept slipping in and out of comas and Dr Hatsuyo didn't know what was wrong with her?"  
  
"Dr Hatsuyo's patient?" the older woman took her glasses off. "Yes, I know about her. How is the old codger doing now?"  
  
"Don't know, don't care." Inuyasha said quickly and pointed to the slide. "Take a look!"  
  
Dr Fei sighed and wearily pulled her microscope towards her and slid the slide into place under the lens. She looked in the top and observed quietly. "What am I looking at?"  
  
"A cure!" Inuyasha tutted. "Duh."  
  
"I think you better take a look." She pushed the microscope towards him  
  
With a frown Inuyasha took a look. To his dismay... the Xycrophobin (not a real drug, so don't take it if you get stung by a bee, ok?) had disintegrated around the virus... and the virus was free to rampage again. He straightened with a thought look. "Ah..."  
  
"Look's like you only found a treatment... not a cure..." Dr Fei patted his arm. "Good job though, it'll stop her falling into comas every five minutes."  
  
"But... she'll still die." Inuyasha said flatly. "What's the point of giving it to her?"  
  
"What's the point?" Dr Fei looked at him in amazement. "She'll at least be awake to experience the last few days of her life... free of pain. Though she'll have to keep taking it every twenty four hours for it to work."  
  
"I guess..." Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"You better go tell her you have a treatment that will make it easier. Better give it to her before she goes into a coma again." Dr Fei noticed his slightly guilty expression. "You have told her haven't you?"  
  
"Um... I'm working on it..." he answered slowly.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she suddenly burst out. "That girl has less than a month to live! She has to know that otherwise she might waste it! You go tell her right this minute!"  
  
"But I have patients!" he growled back.  
  
"Then go tell her when you have some spare time! I swear, Inuyasha, if you waste this girls life just because you're too chicken then I will have you out of this hospital before you can say 'Kikyo has my pen'! Got that?!"  
  
"Fei!" he ground out. "That's not fair!"  
  
"Yes it is - and how many times do I have to tell you not to call me Fei!" she snapped back. "Call me Mom!"  
  
"God, you're so... so... law abiding!" Inuyasha growled and stomped out.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"What's the matter, Doc?"  
  
Inuyasha momentarily glared at his patient and forced himself to not snap out. "Nothing..."  
  
"It's girl trouble. It is, isn't it?" the man nodded. "Yeah, I know when a lad like you suffers from girl trouble."  
  
Inuyasha eyed the fairly elderly man and couldn't hold back the snort. "And what would you know about girls."  
  
"I WAS young once, you know." The man told him. "I wasn't born seventy years old."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Pretty sure." The man nodded. "I know everything there is to know about women. I was quite the ladies man in my day."  
  
"Right... and my real name is Dolly." The young doctor scoffed. "How many women have you had then?"  
  
"We're not in double digits anymore." The man tapped his nose.  
  
"Right," Yeah, that was believable.  
  
"You know it's wonderful when a man grows older, you know?" the patient said as Inuyasha wrapped a blood pressure band around his arm. "When your twenty five... you're attracted to the twenty to thirty year old women... when you're forty... thirty to fifty start to look even better..."  
  
"Are you saying a wrinkled old prune is more attractive than Pamela Anderson to you?" Inuyasha said as he started the machine.  
  
"Well... actually... when you hit seventy - they all start to look pretty good." The man chortled. "How's Saturday night sound for you, Dolly?"  
  
Inuyasha whipped the band off none too gently. "Don't tease. You know I'm fully booked."  
  
"You're loss." The old man shrugged.  
  
Inuyasha carried on running the physical while other things ran through his mind. How was he supposed to tell someone that they were dying. He knew the easy part was going to be just saying the words 'you're dying'. But the part after that was her reaction... how was he going to handle that. This was why he didn't like handling dying patients... it just wasn't easy.  
  
When he was finally done with the 'ladies man' he plodded down to reception, hoping to stall for time. He had nothing to do right then other than go to lunch... and he wasn't really very hungry.  
  
"Kikyo..." he asked when he arrived. "Do I have any emergencies to attend to?"  
  
"Other than an emergency appointment with the bank?" Kikyo didn't bother looking up. "Because how much have you lost to Miroku by now... three thousand yen I think..."  
  
"Shut up. I don't want to talk about that." Inuyasha sighed a shifted. "No people with hands stuck in toasters?"  
  
"Not today."  
  
"No people with fingers missing... legs hanging off...?" Inuyasha sighed. "Nothing...? No Sango?"  
  
"Like I said, not today." Kikyo repeated calmly.  
  
"No people with pens jammed in their eyes?" Inuyasha sighed loudly.  
  
Kikyo clenched her fist around the pen she was holding. "Maybe there will be in a minute if you don't beat it."  
  
Inuyasha debated on whether to beat it or to suffer a serious eye injury... the eye injury could stall for time... but he didn't REALLY fancy having a pen jammed into his eye by Kikyo... hm... better get moving.  
  
There really wasn't any point beating around the bush with this, he just had to get it over with and handle it like he'd been taught in theory. Be comforting... be there... don't run away... try not to twitch... BE NICE!  
  
"I can do this..." he chided himself as he started towards Kagome's ward room. When he caught himself slowing down unconsciously, he mentally kicked himself to get him moving and sped-up again. He had to do this, he couldn't put it off much longer...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Mom! Will you stop fussing? I'm fine!" Kagome said as she tried to get out of her bed for the umpteenth time, but was only pushed back down by her mother.  
  
"The doctor said strict bed rest for you." Her mother said sternly, tucking to blankets her the way a mother learns how to restrict and imprison their child in their beds.  
  
"That was the old doctor!" Kagome squirmed. "The new guy said I can go shopping tomorrow."  
  
"Uh-huh." Her mother folded her arms. "Tell me another one."  
  
"Ok... that was a lie... but he let me go to the canteen!" Kagome tried, but after receiving several deadpan looks she folded. "Fine... I kinda went AWOL on that one."  
  
"Kagome... you shouldn't disobey the doctors. They're here to help you." Her grandpa said slowly. "Respect your elders..."  
  
"Have you even met him?" Kagome rolled her eyes. "He's like fifteen."  
  
"He's older than you." Her mother frowned. "He's still your elder. He could still cure you."  
  
"I don't need curing!" Kagome smiled. "I'm fine! I could climb Mount Fuji without a walking stick - I don't need any doctors! I'm all better."  
  
Grandpa and mother sighed together and Kagome looked between them. "What's with you two... you looked like someone just died..."  
  
Kagome's mother made a small sound in the back of her throat and her grandpa inhaled deeply.  
  
There was a knock at the door and Inuyasha barged in before anyone could say 'come in'. He glanced between Kagome and her family before beckoning to her mother and grandfather. "Can I speak to you two?"  
  
They nodded and followed him out into the corridor.  
  
Kagome took the wonderful opportunity of some alone time to go get dressed properly, seeing as the backless gown was making her nervous.  
  
Inuyasha led Kagome's family a short distance away from the door so they wouldn't be over heard. "Have you told her yet?" he asked straight out.  
  
"We thought you'd already broken the news to her. We almost ruined the surprise when we arrived." Grandpa remarked dryly.  
  
"You still want me to break it to her?" Inuyasha asked, secretly praying they'd change their minds.  
  
"Yes... I think it will sound more credible coming from a doctor." Her mother dropped her gaze. "I don't want to hate me..."  
  
"She wouldn't even if you did." Inuyasha shrugged as though it didn't bother him, but his insides suddenly felt all wobbly. Not a feeling he was used to. "Listen... you go get some ice cream or whatever... I'll go tell her... stick around, she might want to talk to you afterwards."  
  
The chances of her wanting to talk to someone after being told such awful news was pretty high... she'd need comfort or something, and Inuyasha wasn't the one to give that kind of thing. Best to have her family nearby.  
  
Inuyasha watched them walk away before barging back into the hospital room... only to catch Kagome just about to pull her jumper on. She yelped and shielded her chest with the piece of clothing. "Ever heard of knocking?!"  
  
"Relax - I'm a doctor. It's nothing I ain't seen before." He waved his hand and went to go sit in the chair beside her bed.  
  
"Excuse me..." she stared at him. "Do you mind turning around... just for a sec?"  
  
He was about to refuse... before realising she was the stubborn sort and he could be sitting here all day waiting for her to change. He didn't fancy telling a girl she was dying when she was topless either... So with a sigh and a grumble he turned his back on her and waited.  
  
There was some sliding and shuffling behind him and a few moments later Kagome piped up, "All done."  
  
Inuyasha turned back around and froze up. Now what was he supposed to say? Kagome sat back down on her bed and crossed her legs as he seemed to go on meditating. She waited a few seconds before leaning to the side and waving. "Hello...? Did you want something?"  
  
"Uh... yeah..." he raised a hand to his mouth, about to nibble on his claw, when he caught himself and forced the hand down. That was a very old habit... and it just proved how bloody nervous he was right then.  
  
"Do you think you can discharge me soon?" Kagome asked suddenly. "I mean... I feel great and dandy and whatever... and my first lecture starts next Monday, and I don't want to miss it."  
  
"Ah..." Inuyasha nodded with a slight wince.  
  
"And I've really been looking forward to this chance!" Kagome said quickly. "And I swear, if I become a lawyer I will never work in prosecution against you!"  
  
"Um... Kagome..."  
  
"Unless you've been a bastard to one of your patients. Molested someone... killed someone deliberately... or performed malpractice-"  
  
"Kagome! You're not going to University." He snapped suddenly.  
  
"What?" she frowned.  
  
"-Yet." He added quickly, not wanting to shoot her down in flames so soon. "There's a problem... with your virus..."  
  
Kagome's mouth hung open for a moment like she wanted to say something, before she closed it and waited for him to continue.  
  
"The Virus is attacking your body... aggressively..."  
  
"That's not good..." she guessed.  
  
Inuyasha leaned forward to rest his forearms against his knees. "No, it's not. Because at the rate it's working you will be dead in less than a month."  
  
Kagome flinched back slightly like she'd been slapped and she stared at him in complete silence. The room was practically sound proof so no outside sounds could be heard... and the total silence in the room was becoming almost unbearable. Slowly her gaze dropped to the floor, but she made no effort to speak.  
  
"Fortunately there's a drug that I can treat you with... it's experimental, but if you take a daily dose then you won't fall back into any comas." Inuyasha went on. "There's also a process of dealing with death that you will need to make yourself familiar with... I know it's a shock, but you don't have a lot of time left, so you'll have to make the most of what time you have."  
  
"Stop..." Kagome held her hands up. "Stop talking."  
  
Inuyasha fell silent.  
  
Kagome sat in silence before looking up at him with shock and fear. "I'm dying?"  
  
"Yes..." Inuyasha said slowly. "If you want I can send your family back in to-"  
  
"No." Kagome said quickly. "I... I think I need... time... to think about this..."  
  
"You want to be left alone-"  
  
"Yes." Kagome said shortly, not looking up at him.  
  
"Ok..." Inuyasha said softly and left the room without another word. He shut the door quietly and turned to come face to face with Kagome's mother.  
  
"Did you tell her?" she asked quickly.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"How is she - can I see her now-"  
  
"No - give her a minute." Inuyasha ushered her a short distance away. "I need to speak with you about something."  
  
Mrs Higurashi fidgeted anxiously, more like she wanted to go speak to her daughter rather than her doctor. "Yes?"  
  
"There are five stages to accepting death - which applies to both the person dying and the family of that person." Inuyasha said firmly. "It usually goes in the same order... Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression... and then finally Acceptance. It is possible that Kagome will reach the final stage by the end of the month..."  
  
"Right..." Mrs Higurashi stared dully at the opposite wall.  
  
"You have to be there for her - but you have to also understand that she's going to be angry, and she may take her anger out on you. It may seem like she hates you, but you mustn't let it cause rifts at this point. She hasn't got a lot of time so it's vital that she feels safe and comforted by her family." Inuyasha explained. He'd read it all before, and studied it all before... but this was the first time he'd had to put it into practise.  
  
Kagome's mother started again. "How soon will she accept this-"  
  
A loud crash inside Kagome's hospital room cut her sentence short and Inuyasha was at once gone from her side and throwing open the door. "Kagome!"  
  
"Screw you! And all your stupid equipment!" Kagome yelled as she pushed over the heart monitor. "For all its worth I might as well already be dead!"  
  
Millions of Yen had gone into that equipment and he winced as the monitor smashed on the floor, but he endured. It was no personal loss. "Kagome, I think you should just sit down for a moment and-"  
  
"And talk?!" Kagome whirled and him, kicking the bed angrily. "That's all you do isn't it! YOU TALK! You do nothing to help me! You should be out there finding a cure! But you're just telling me to chill! I will NOT chill!"  
  
Inuyasha quickly grabbed her as she made to attack some other equipment above the bed. "Stop it! You have to calm down!"  
  
"No!" Kagome threw her weight around to dislodge him. "I'm the one who's dying here! Not you! Let me be!"  
  
"Not until you calm down!" he snapped.  
  
"Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs and struggled violently.  
  
She wasn't going to calm down, that much was obvious. He glanced back to the open doorway. "KIKYO!"  
  
He gave it a few seconds before yelling again. Soon she appeared in the doorway, knowing the drill by now and had morphine syringe ready. She came forward while a few other nurses and Miroku gathered in the doorway.  
  
"Hold her still!" Kikyo told Inuyasha shortly.  
  
"Let me go! Bastards! This is all your fault!" Kagome kicked and flailed, almost breaking away.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed her again, firmly and held her with un-measurable strength that prevented her from moving her arms whatsoever. Kikyo quickly took Kagome's hand that still had the IV needle in it and fixed the syringe to it. She gave the dosage quickly before Kagome could jerk away with her own strength born of anger.  
  
When it was done she stepped back and pointed to the bed. "Get her down - four point restraints."  
  
"Stop treating me like a nutcase!" Kagome screamed as Inuyasha and Miroku both joined together to carry her to the bed and hold her down while four nurses arrived by her side to buckle soft restraints around her wrists and ankles. Mrs Higurashi stood in the doorway with a hand pressed to her mouth and tears stood out in her eyes.  
  
Fairly quickly Kagome was beginning to fall into a stupor, only muttering soft insults and groans as the sedatives started to take affect on her. When he eyes closed and her head lolled to the side, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"I guess it's safe to say she'd passed onto stage two by now..." Inuyasha said quietly to Kikyo who nodded. "Keep an eye on her and tell me the minute she wakes up."  
  
Once again Kikyo nodded and Inuyasha began to shoo the nurses away. "This isn't a soap opera - get lost!"  
  
Suddenly the bed started to shake and everyone glanced back at Kagome to see her body was convulsing strongly. Inuyasha cursed at once. "Shit!"  
  
"She's having a reaction to the sedative." Kikyo stated calmly, keeping a cool head as she hurried to the bed side. "Where's the defibrillator?"  
  
"She smashed it." Inuyasha glanced back at the other nurses. "Get one in here now! Get moving!"  
  
While the nurses went to fetch a new machine Inuyasha went to the bedside and tried to stop Kagome from causing herself any damage. He issued orders to Kikyo as he went. "Check her mouth - don't let her swallow her tongue! What's her BP?"  
  
"I don't know - she trashed that as well!" Kikyo said loudly as she checked Kagome's mouth.  
  
The defibrillator arrived the same moment Kagome stopped convulsing. Inuyasha quickly checked her pulse and sighed. "She's back in a coma..."  
  
There was an all around sigh at this announcement and Miroku folded his arms. "All that racing around for nothing..."  
  
"Ok..." Inuyasha looked around at the state of the room and winced. "Get replacement equipment and keep those restraints on her. I want her checked on every five minutes and the moment she wakes someone has to come and find me. Don't free her from those restraints until I say so."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: it's well past my beddy byes now and I have an exam tomorrow... so I better go.) 


	7. The Season To Be Jolly

Disclaimer: I ain't sayin' it again  
  
(A/N: Well I just got a dress from America - a souvenir thanks to my mother and I can't believe how different the measurements are. I'm a size six in English... and I got a size zero from America... I feel like I must weigh nothing or something...  
  
Well, new chapter, sorry about the weight... I mean, wait ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
The Season to be Jolly  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Delivery for Dogtor Inu."  
  
Inuyasha clenched his fist around the pen he was using to fill in some health certificates... accidentally shattering it. Kikyo carefully moved her new pen pot under the desk and out of sight.  
  
Inuyasha turned slowly, opening his mouth to let a stream of colourful and inventive language loose, when he froze up. "What the hell...?"  
  
The delivery man was no longer wearing his usual navy blue jump-suit with a matching baseball cap. He was now wearing a bright red jump-suit, fringed with fluffy white stuff around the sleeves and middle, and he also wore a floppy red hat with a white bobble at the end. He also had a fake white beard and wig.  
  
"Merry Christmas, Doc!" the delivery man grinned.  
  
"Damn..." Inuyasha sighed. "I forgot it was that time of year again..."  
  
"What, Easter?" Kikyo glanced up and started when she saw the delivery man. "Who the hell is that?"  
  
"Who do you think I am?" the delivery man shrugged.  
  
"Dad?" Inuyasha blinked. "The similarity is unnerving..."  
  
"Thirty-two boxes of syringes for Dogtor Inu." The delivery man held out the clipboard with the form to sign.  
  
Inuyasha looked around. "Uh... pen... pen..." he saw the one Kikyo was using and quickly snatched it out of her hand. "Ahah!"  
  
"A-hey!" Kikyo gaped at him. "I was using that!"  
  
"Switch to de-caff , Sister." Inuyasha called over his shoulder as he signed the forms. "You need to relax a little."  
  
Kikyo grumbled and quietly pulled one from her secret drawer.  
  
Once Inuyasha had signed, Father Christmas waved to his little elf pals who then wheeled in the boxes.  
  
"Thirty-two?" Inuyasha scowled. "There's only sixteen... where's the rest?"  
  
"Gimme a break - it's Christmas!" the delivery man shrugged again,  
  
"Not yet it's not!" Inuyasha clenched his fists. "Where are the rest?!"  
  
"Back at the warehouse, Doc. Couldn't be bothered bringing the whole hog today, so the rest'll be here tomorrow." The delivery man waved. "Good evening to all - and to all; a good night! Thank you everyone, I'll be here all week!"  
  
When the waiting room residents all clapped, Kikyo had to grab the back of Inuyasha's shirt to keep him from attacking the delivery man as he bowed his way out. "He isn't worth it, Inuyasha."  
  
"I swear - if I see that clown in here one more time I won't be responsible for my actions." He growled. He was about to go on when someone passed by the front desk humming. Both Kikyo and Inuyasha watched him pass... more because he was wearing very odd clothes. His hair was died red, his suit lime green and his shoes were white... just like the doctor lab coat he was wearing.  
  
"Hey... speaking of clowns..." Inuyasha pointed. "Isn't that-"  
  
"Doctor Lisuko." Kikyo nodded. "Whoa..."  
  
"When did he turn into paediatrics?" Inuyasha glanced at Kikyo. "He's a clown doctor now?"  
  
"No... that's just a midlife crisis walking past." She sighed and went back to her work.  
  
"Midlife crisis?" Inuyasha shuddered. "I hope I never get to that any time soon..."  
  
"Never get to that?" Kikyo echoed and arched an eyebrow at him. "You hit it five years ago."  
  
"You're so horrible to me!" Inuyasha huffed and flounced off with a toss of his hair.  
  
"I try..." Kikyo muttered in his wake.  
  
On his way to his first patient he passed Kagome's room. He paused for a moment to glance in the window and saw that she was still asleep and strapped down. A nurse was stood at the end of the bed noting stuff down on a form, just like he'd told her to do. Hopefully her fist dose of Xycrophobin would start taking affect soon and she would wake up... though that was not always a good thing in some ways.  
  
He carried on to his appointment and quickly checked the name of the patient he was about to see. It was Sango, which raised his hopes a little - because Miroku should be there to.  
  
He found the examination room she was waiting in and opened the door. He stopped and frowned when he found himself confronted with the sight of Miroku looking for more patients down Sango's throat. After staring a moment, unnoticed by the kissing couple, he closed the door and blinked.  
  
"That was all an illusion... and when I open the door again... they'll be arguing." Inuyasha shook his head to clear it, realising he must have been eating too much Ramen recently.  
  
He opened the door again.  
  
Nope... he was definitely not dreaming that. And since Sango seemed to be in capable... hands... Inuyasha decided that he might as well take a rain check on this appointment and go take a coffee break.  
  
As he wondered off towards the elevator to go up to the canteen he had to wonder what it was about Christmas that made people face suck. It had to be something to do with mistletoe... or some kind of government conspiracy. Not that that would make much sense...  
  
"Doctor!"  
  
Inuyasha put his hand out to stop the elevator doors from closing and pushed them back to see one of the younger nurses running towards him. "What's the matter?"  
  
"It's Kagome Higurashi - she's awake." The girl gasped, pressing a hand to her chest.  
  
"That's good - I'll go see her now then-"  
  
"No - she woke while there was no one there to watch her - she must have come around in a matter of seconds - we only left her for five minutes!" the nurse gushed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She's gone - we went to check up on her and she was gone from the bed." She shook her head. "I have no idea where she went!"  
  
"It's ok, Aki." He rushed past her. "I'll take it from here."  
  
The first place he checked was, of course, her room. He looked around, checking the corners and bathroom for some sign, but she definitely wasn't in there. The blankets on her bed were disturbed and half kicked off the mattress, and the buckles that had been holding her were all open - and one of the wrist buckles had been torn off completely.  
  
"Shit..." he muttered as he slammed out of the door again and ran for reception. "Kikyo!"  
  
"Ah!" she jumped so badly she dropped a box of syringes on the floor. "What?!"  
  
"Tell everyone to look for a patient - one that looks a little like you?"  
  
"Miss Higurashi escaped again?" Kikyo frowned at him.  
  
"Just do it!" he snapped and turned to check out the most likeliest places she could be.  
  
He first checked the canteen since that was the one place most patients ended up on their travels, but she wasn't there either. That was when he found he was fresh out of ideas. She was definitely inside the building because the security guards around the front entrance had strict orders not to let any patients go without doctor say-so. Either that... or she'd jumped out a window or something.  
  
He really hoped she had more sense than that, so he carried on looking around the top floor where most of the pleasure activities were located for long-term patients, including the game room.  
  
She wasn't anywhere around there and he went back to the stairs to start searching the floor beneath. He stopped just before he was about to descend the flight of stairs since a cold draft whirled around him, making him shiver. It wasn't usually so cold... so it meant that the door to the roof was open.  
  
Chances of it being Kagome who'd opened it...? Pretty high.  
  
He went up the next flight of stairs to find that the roof door was indeed open. The wind blew through it strongly, and the cold blast made his hair whip around his shoulders. He pushed it out of his eyes and looked around quickly. He didn't particularly like it when patients found their way to the roof... and he had to wonder if she was up here at all... and hadn't taken the quickest way down to the ground.  
  
"Kagome?" he called as he moved away from the door, careful not to close it behind him in case he was locked out. He spotted her quickly - sitting at the very edge of the roof with her legs dangling over the edge, facing Mount Fuji in the distance. Behind her, one of the wrist buckles lay strewn on the ground, the one that she'd ripped off in order to free herself... not an easy feat.  
  
"Nice day." He commented as she slowly approached her.  
  
"No it isn't." Kagome answered evenly, flicking a glance momentarily up at the grey overcast sky. Before she knew it, or could move, Inuyasha sat down beside her, dangling his own legs over the side. She glanced at him for a moment, wondering why he wasn't grabbing her and pulling her back, or at least giving her the speech to entice her away from the edge. Deciding he was pretty much as crazy as her Grandpa she turned her gaze back over the city.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Inuyasha asked idly.  
  
Kagome held her hand out. "Penny first, then I'll talk."  
  
"Um..." Inuyasha patted his pockets. "I've been a little strapped for cash recently..." Thanks to a certain money-making-mooching-Miroku.  
  
"Figures..." Kagome shrugged. "I was just thinking about Zebras..."  
  
"And why not?" Inuyasha shrugged. "They're a good... animal..."  
  
"Don't you think they've pulled he short straw in life?" She sighed. "I mean... talk about unlucky. They live in big grassy plains where there are lions and hyenas... and do that get camouflage? No. They get kited out in black and white stripes so they stick out like a sore thumb. Not very hard for a lion to find a Zebra then. AND they come last in the alphabet."  
  
"Maybe when they were handing out camouflage, they were last in line because they were going alphabetically." Inuyasha guessed.  
  
"That would make sense..." Kagome nodded absently. "Must have been tough for them when Noah was taking on the animals in alphabetical order too..."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"And ants... no - Aardvarks..." Kagome wrinkled her nose. "How much do you want to bet they just made up that name so they could be first on the Ark?"  
  
"I'm not a betting man..." Inuyasha said dully.  
  
Kagome lapsed into silence and brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  
  
"Was that really what you were thinking about?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Yes..." Kagome replied with a soft sigh as she leant her chin against her knees. "And... the fact that I probably won't be able to climb Mount Fuji without a walking stick..."  
  
"You weren't thinking of jumping?"  
  
"I'm not stupid." Kagome snorted. "This is the only place where I can get any privacy... stupid nurses keep checking up on me every thirty seconds."  
  
"With good reason." Inuyasha retorted.  
  
"Yeah, well what's the point?" Kagome glared briefly at him. "If I'm going to just die, why not send me home so I could live out the rest of my life in peace and comfortable surroundings?"  
  
"Because this is a virus no one has ever seen before." Inuyasha told her sternly. "There might be complications and the medical board want you to stay here for observation and treatment. If you go home we can't treat you, and then you'll just lapse into another coma, and that's a fine way to spend the last month of your life."  
  
"How can you just be so casual about this?" Kagome scowled as she suddenly stood up and backed away from the edge a little. "I'm DYING! You can't change that! Why not let me just fall back into a coma - I don't care! At least it'll save me a month of torture - knowing I have only a matter of days to live!"  
  
"It's a fact - I'm not going to walk on eggshells around this. I'm a doctor, I can't pretend you aren't dying!" Inuyasha snapped, not moving from his seat near the edge.  
  
"I'm seventeen! My birthday is in five weeks!" Kagome clenched her fists. "But I'm not going to live till then, am I?!"  
  
"No."  
  
"I want my life back!" Kagome picked up the buckle she'd ripped off and hurled it off the roof with a yell. "It's not FAIR!"  
  
"Whoever said it was?" Inuyasha followed the buckle as it streaked across the sky and started fall to earth, aiming right for the delivery man who was just about getting into his truck. Inuyasha prayed silently... before snorting with laughter when the heavy buckle clapped the guy on the head.  
  
"You find this funny?!" Kagome growled. "I'm dying and you're just laughing!"  
  
"It isn't good to dwell on these things." Inuyasha changed his attention back to the matter at hand. "Sometimes it's good to make a list of the things you aimed to do in life."  
  
"Why? So I can look at it and rejoice that I'll never get to do them?"  
  
"No... it's so you can do them while you still have time." Inuyasha told her. "Things like... plant a tree... go paragliding... visit Spain..."  
  
"I could do those things?" Kagome asked reproachfully.  
  
"Sure... and we'd even pay for it." Inuyasha shrugged with a small smile. "But you'd only get to visit Spain for a little while... and you'd be swamped by doctors the entire time... so I wouldn't try that if I were you."  
  
"I'm not outgoing." Kagome sighed and she moved to sit down on the edge again. "Jumping off cliffs with a sail tied to my back was never on my 'do before I die' list."  
  
"Then what was?" he glanced over at her.  
  
Kagome buried her face in her hands with a sigh. "All my friends... when they were little... they wanted to become doctors, dentists, astronauts... models... singers..."  
  
"Dancers, actors and stars?" Inuyasha nodded. He knew most kids wanted that.  
  
"Nowadays they want a career... to be independent women. They want to get out there and make money so they can start thinking about taking early retirement with a small fortune."  
  
"And you do as well?"  
  
"No..." Kagome shook her head. "I just wanted a job maybe... but what I really wanted most was to find the perfect guy to fall in love with... get married... have kids..."  
  
Inuyasha winced, knowing she'd never have time to do those things now.  
  
"I was waiting to have the perfect life..." Kagome stood up again, but this time made no move to step away from the edge. "Am I supposed to give myself over to a perfect death instead?"  
  
"You gonna jump?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Maybe..." Kagome swayed slightly in the breeze, closing her eyes to keep from seeing the dizzying height. "Why not? I'll be saving everyone a lot of trouble... one less patient for you... less enduring pain for me... and my family won't have to look at me in pity anymore..."  
  
"Oh... but you have so much to live for."  
  
"That's not even funny." Kagome scowled faintly.  
  
"It wasn't a joke." Inuyasha responded evenly. "You have a month... in that time you can do anything you want. You can blow your life savings... never have to work again... anything. And you still have time to be with your family and friends."  
  
"No." Kagome swayed again. "I don't want to see my family... they pity me... I could see it even when I didn't know I was dying..."  
  
"But they're visiting today." Inuyasha told her, looking at his nails critically. "They do every day."  
  
"Then I refuse to see them."  
  
"Or you could jump and spare us all the time."  
  
"Or I could jump, yeah, thanks for the reminder.".  
  
"But..." Inuyasha started slowly as he reclined on his hands. "That would mean that you'd die a very messy death... blood guts and brains all over the pavement down there." He whistled as he peered down. "And right over there is the infant Playskool... and unless you want to traumatise a bunch of three year olds for life then I wouldn't jump if I were you."  
  
"What would I care? I'd be dead." Kagome scowled, looking down as well.  
  
"I suppose you're right... and I'm sure the caretaker could sweep you up before the bell goes and the kids all run home." Inuyasha smirked up at her. "But what would you care...? You'd be dead."  
  
Kagome's brow furrowed slightly and she stepped back. "I'm cold... I'll do this another day."  
  
"Take your time." Inuyasha called as she headed back inside. "Don't rush yourself to an early grave, you know."  
  
The answering sound was the door to the roof slamming close behind her as she went back inside. Inuyasha gazed out over the city below... before suddenly remembering why he'd propped that door open in the first place...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Did you just get dragged through a hedge backwards?" Miroku asked as Inuyasha arrived at reception.  
  
Inuyasha stiffly raised his hand and tried to push down his hair to make it lie flat. It was no use. With a sigh he lowered his arm again and shuffled towards the radiator against the wall behind the desk, before giving a belated response. "Shut up."  
  
"Or you've finally been taken over by the festive spirit and sat in the snow all afternoon."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Like that would happen anyway..."  
  
"Where's Kikyo?" Inuyasha suddenly asked. "And what are you doing here?"  
  
"Kikyo's gone walkies so I'm replacing her until she turns up again." Miroku said as he began to re-file the entire contents of the filing cabinet that Kikyo had been maintaining.  
  
"Ooh... she's gonna kill you when she gets back." Inuyasha snickered quietly. "Rule one: never touch Kikyo's stuff."  
  
"This isn't her 'stuff' - this is hospital property." Miroku snapped back... but he was starting to look worried.  
  
Just then Aki, the nurse, bustled past with a slight hum in her throat and a box of decorations. She stopped beside the front desk, smiled at the two doctors, and then tacked up a sprig of mistletoe on the board above the desk. Miroku was about to move forward and take the obvious initiative, if it hadn't been for Inuyasha's foot which suddenly clamped down on Miroku's. Miroku glared sourly at Inuyasha as Aki bustled off again. "What was that for?"  
  
"Random body spasms." Inuyasha shrugged. "It's in the family..."  
  
He trailed off with a thoughtful expression and moved forward to pluck the mistletoe down from the board above his head. he held it curiously before crunching it in his hand and picking up the phone.  
  
"Who're you calling?" Miroku asked.  
  
"My dad... funnily enough Christmas always makes me think of him." His hand hovered of the key pad and he winced. "Do you remember the number for St Alexander's?"  
  
Miroku's head snapped around. "St Alexander's the nuthouse?"  
  
Inuyasha's tongue clicked impatiently. "No... St Alexander's hospital for the mentally unstable... thank you very much."  
  
"You're dad's a doctor, right?" Miroku asked carefully.  
  
Inuyasha sighed. "At least he thinks he is..."  
  
"Right... speed-dial six." Miroku pointed.  
  
"Uh... why have we got the nuthouse on speed-dial six?" Inuyasha asked. And Miroku shrugged for a moment before they both nodded and said at the same time, "Kikyo."  
  
Inuyasha pressed speed-dial six and listened for the tone. "Great... and she broke it as well."  
  
"Try the operator."  
  
Inuyasha slumped over the desk as it rang. "Yeah, I'd like to place a collect call to St Alexander's hospital."  
  
"Cheap bastard." Miroku muttered.  
  
Inuyasha ignored him and waited for the charges to be accepted. Fortunately, the hospital was more generous than he was. "Hi, this is Doctor Inu - can I speak to my dad, please?"  
  
Miroku paused his filing to listen in. This should be good.  
  
"Hi dad..." Inuyasha greeted with a sigh. "No... they didn't trace the call... I swear... No... mom hasn't grown that third head yet - and no - I'm not married!... Since when?!... I don't have any kids - how can they have visited you?!"  
  
Now he remembered why he didn't call his father for the next twelve months.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Need to clean the hamster now ^_^) 


	8. Playing Hard To Get

AN: Yep, I finally wrote chapter eight at last and as you may have noticed I changed the summary because every time I read it before, I cringed and wanted to puke. It really did sound cheesy. Anyway, now that I've finished Two Faced I should be able to update my other fics more regularly (but then I'll start like three more fics and get slowed down again) ^_^.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Playing Hard To Get  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Mr Rinka, how's life going?" Inuyasha greeted his patient with an unusually cheerful attitude.  
  
"Same old same old." the man replied from his wheelchair. "Hernia's still there, keep having those mild heart attacks as well. My wife left me, my teenage daughter hates me and my dad just died."  
  
"Good, good." Inuyasha started to wheel him off to the examination room. Nope, nothing could spoil his mood today. The delivery man hadn't turned up that morning so there was a good start to any day there already.  
  
But of course, that was just jinxing it.  
  
"Doctor Inu!" Aki came huffing up behind him.  
  
Inuyasha gripped the hand holds of the wheelchair a little tighter and turned with an unwavering smile. "What is it, dear?"  
  
"Kagome's gone again, sir."  
  
Needless to say, the reaction she received was enough to send Miroku jangling his money filled pen pot all the way down in reception.  
  
Inuyasha left Mr Rinka to his own devices and stormed back up to reception with Aki scurrying along behind him.  
  
"Where the fuck is Kikyo?!" Inuyasha demanded as he reached reception and slammed a fist on the desk, making Miroku look up. "You are a surgeon! STAY in surgery for the love of god!"  
  
"I don't have any patients. And ever since Kikyo took off I have had nothing better to do." Miroku said defensively. "You wanna hear my theory?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"I bet Kagome kidnapped Kikyo." He thought about that. "But then again, maybe not. She didn't have Kikyo with her when she discharged herself."  
  
"She dis - What the hell is wrong with you?!" Inuyasha grabbed Miroku by the lapels and dragged him forward. "You just let her walk out of here?!"  
  
"Of course - she said you discharged her yourself!" Miroku pried his hands off.  
  
"And you believed her?!"  
  
"Yes." Miroku shrugged. "Though I'm guessing by the look on your face that she was telling a fib.."  
  
"I don't believe this." Inuyasha growled. "Call the family - see if she's there. If not - then call the police."  
  
"That's a bit mean." Aki commented.  
  
"They'll find her quick than the two of you fur brains put together will." Inuyasha grouched as Miroku picked up the receiver.  
  
"Hello this is Shikon Hospital speaking - is Kagome there, we seem to have lost her." Miroku trailed off. "Ok. I did not know that you didn't know she was lost."  
  
"Hey Dogtor!"  
  
"Oh no." Inuyasha slumped against the desk for a moment before turning miserably to the entrance. "Oh. why aren't you dead yet?!"  
  
"Nice try." The delivery man was now wheeling himself through the automatic sliding doors in a wheel chair with a broken leg. "Guess who's my new doctor?"  
  
That happy morning was fast flinging itself out of the window. Inuyasha cast a despairing look at Miroku who was too busy holding the phone slightly away from his ear with a wince to notice. "When I said lost - I just meant misplaced-"  
  
Inuyasha was fast loosing the thread of reality and looked around for something normal to cling to. He spotted Aki stood placidly by the desk, who quickly stiffened when she noticed his look. "D-Doctor?"  
  
"Aki! Go get me a coffee from the canteen - and tell them not to hold back on the caffeine!" he called as she raced off to do his bidding.  
  
"I wonder what this means. It must be fate that has brought us together again, Doc." The delivery man mused.  
  
"Or maybe it just means my voodoo doll is working after all." Inuyasha mumbled and glanced up as Miroku suddenly slammed the phone down hastily. "Is she there?"  
  
Miroku just gave him a dry look and went back to filing.  
  
"Doctor Inu!"  
  
Inuyasha turned, filling with dread, as two security guards came huffing in through the doors. "What?"  
  
"This crazy chick just took off with your car!" one panted.  
  
"We couldn't stop her - she was too fast!"  
  
"Doctor Inu!" Aki arrived back.  
  
"Hey Dogtor - when do I get my leg set?"  
  
"Inuyasha, do you have any idea what comes after P in the alphabet?"  
  
"Do you want us to call the police?"  
  
"Oh - and Kagome's parents don't know where she is - you'll have to find her."  
  
"Hey - he's my Dogtor first - I need my leg reset - come on!"  
  
"Doctor - you're coffee is getting cold and I have errands I have to run for Doctor Fei so-"  
  
Aki fell short as the coffee in her hand was suddenly knocked flying to smash against the wall behind the front desk. Everyone fell silent as Inuyasha tossed his papers down and stomped off down the corridor, throwing his stethoscope away as he did so.  
  
Mr Rinka came out of an examination room as Inuyasha passed. "Hey - you said you could see me now - where are you going?"  
  
Inuyasha just ignored him and kept on walking until he was gone from sight.  
  
Aki huffed and balled her fists on her hips. "Well that's gratitude for you."  
  
"He better not have just quit - I need by leg seen to." The delivery man scowled.  
  
"Oh don't worry, he'll be back in five minutes." Miroku went back to his filing. "He does this every other Monday or whatever. oh look. he's completely covered all these forms in coffee!"  
  
"Someone should really talk to him about handling these strops." Aki said and looked around. Suddenly everyone looked like they had busy stuff to do and see so she just sighed and gave up. After all, even she wouldn't like to tell Inuyasha to take it easy.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Mondays were always the longest day of the weak. no seriously they were. Especially when you had to work fourteen to fifteen hours a day - even at weekends. And people always liked to pick Mondays out of all the other days to get sick or get into an accident.  
  
The only blissful moment on a Monday when at eleven o'clock when he got to clock out and go home. unfortunately not this Monday. His car had been stolen and while the police were on the case, he still had to walk home. He probably could have taken the tube or something, since it was quite a distance. but if truth be told he was a little claustrophobic. though that wasn't going to be told to anyone.  
  
So after a long day of work. he had a long walk home. where he would probably find a long list of bills and a long answer phone message from his mother telling him to wear clean underwear.  
  
All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and get some rest.  
  
He eventually rounded the corner into his parking lot and stopped dead. His car was sitting right in the usual spot, looking like it hadn't been moved at all since yesterday. He stared and puzzled over this before quickly running over and looking it up and down for damage. Not a single scratch. no dents. no smashed windows and no forced entry. The only thing that was wrong was that the radio inside had been smashed to pieces.  
  
With a wince Inuyasha decided he didn't really listen to it anyway, so he wouldn't bother paying for a new one. So seeing as he baby was safe and sound in its allocated lot, he went up to the door and started rummaging around his pocket for his keys.  
  
Unfortunately, he discovered with dread, his keys had also been stolen.  
  
"Ah shit." Inuyasha slumped and thumped his forehead against the hard door. With a sigh he pressed the call button. He waited a few seconds before pressing it again.  
  
There was a static sound from the speaker beside him before a rather grouchy voice answer. "What you want?"  
  
"Let me in." Inuyasha told the super.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"Inu."  
  
"Ain't you already checked in?"  
  
"I'm standing outside the door." Inuyasha said flatly. "I am not checked in. I am not in my apartment. I am not happy. I am stressed. my life sucks and if you don't open the fucking door in the next ten seconds then I will climb up onto the roof and then throw myself off."  
  
"And the part where I start to sympathise comes when?"  
  
"Either open the door or spend the rest of the night cleaning up my splattered remains." Hadn't he already had this conversation with Kagome?  
  
"Alright, alright." came the mumbled reply.  
  
There was a beep and the door clicked open. Inuyasha didn't bother to say his thanks as he proceeded straight up the stairs, all the way to the top of the apartment building to the last door on the last level. Being the organised person he was, he had been well prepared for the event in which he would be locked out.  
  
He got on one knee and took a look at the lock closely. He then took a penknife from his pocket and inserted it into the lock and squiggled it around a bit before it clicked.  
  
The door swung open and he finally stepped back inside. yep. still the same old apartment. nothing changed. His boxes were still lying around, yet to be unpacked and sorted, even though he had moved in over a month ago. He just hadn't had the time to.  
  
He stopped dead when he head the TV going in the lounge. He hurried to the doorway and looked on with surprise as Kagome turned her attention away from the TV set to regard him. "You took your time."  
  
"I'm sorry, I ran late. I." he suddenly frowned. "Why the hell am I explaining myself to you?!"  
  
"And don't be so sneaky about entering." Kagome said, looking back at the TV. "I thought you were an intruder or something."  
  
"I live here!" Inuyasha burst out.  
  
"I know." Kagome nodded and held up his wallet and set of keys. "You know you really shouldn't lean so close to check my pulse. All kinds of things just fall out your pockets."  
  
"You pick-pocketed me!" he growled and clenched his fists. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone has been about you?! You're mother has already gone to the police and she was in hysterics on the phone!"  
  
Kagome shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
Ouch. Inuyasha went over and snatched his valuables back. "And you wrecked my radio!"  
  
"It was playing the song 'we're gonna live forever'." Kagome said dryly.  
  
"Irony hitting you hard?" Inuyasha said in an equal tone.  
  
"No, I just don't like the melody." Kagome retorted and started to ignore him in favour of watching the late night quiz show. "Oh - I know this one! It's Tom Hanks!"  
  
The TV suddenly went dead and Kagome switched a glare to Inuyasha who held the remote up and blew on the end like it was a pistol. Kagome sighed and settled down onto the sofa, turning her head away to ignore him.  
  
"I guess you don't want to talk." Inuyasha shrugged.  
  
"You'd guess right." Kagome said shortly.  
  
He smirked and started to shrug out of his jacket. "Nope. because if you didn't want to talk you would have gone somewhere else. Out of all the places you could have been with all my money and my car. you chose my place."  
  
Kagome's jaw visibly clenched. "I was bored. I reckoned you had cable."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint."  
  
"I thought doctor's were supposed to be rich." Kagome snapped angrily.  
  
"We are."  
  
"Then why are you driving a mini and not a Porsche?" she glowered at him.  
  
"Because." he trailed off, not really sure. "I guess doctor's always get their car nicked. so when that one gets nicked I'll get the insurance and by a bigger one."  
  
"When will it be nicked?"  
  
"Dunno. I've had it for five years. no one seems to want it." He shrugged.  
  
"Figures." Kagome stood up and headed off to the kitchen. "Where do you keep the coffee."  
  
"Don't drink coffee."  
  
"Tea?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Um. you got any squash?" she scowled at him.  
  
"In the third box to your left."  
  
"Only just moved in?"  
  
"Recently." he shrugged. "July I think."  
  
"Wow." Kagome made herself a drink and sat back down. She grabbed the remote off Inuyasha and turned the TV back on.  
  
Inuyasha sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. It seemed everyone was out to make his life a misery today, especially Kagome. What he really needed right now was sleep. but he had a feeling he'd be trying to convince a dying girl to go back to hospital.  
  
But seeing as he had all night to do that, he just headed into the back bedroom to get changed. When he came back the TV was on its side on the floor and the remote had made a nice large chip on the screen. Looking over at Kagome he saw she was sitting calmly on the sofa, sipping her drink like nothing had happened.  
  
"You must really hate me." He said as he sat down at the other end of the sofa.  
  
"I should probably mention I hate those TV shows with Karaoke Christmas carols." She said without looking up at him.  
  
By now Inuyasha was sorely tired of having his possessions smashed and people beating around the bush. "Tomorrow morning you get up at seven. We're going back to the hospital."  
  
"No, we're not." Kagome replied curtly.  
  
"Do you really think you could stop me if I wanted to get you back there?" he said with a hint of warning.  
  
Kagome's firm calm expression faltered slightly and she glanced at him warily for a moment, her eyes flicking him up and down. She was surprised by how. young. he looked now. Not young like her. but too young to be a doctor. "I'm stronger than I look." She replied, knowing it was a pointless defence.  
  
"You'll have to go back. I'm not having a comatose girl in my house for the rest of the month. My landlord won't care if it's a corpse or a hamster that's sharing with me. I have to pay double either way." Inuyasha said darkly. "Besides. your family really miss you. you haven't talked to them in days."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So why not?"  
  
"Why should I talk to them?" Kagome scowled, folding her arms closer to her chest. "All they do is simper and moan and look at me with pity and fear. They treat me extra nice - they treat me like I'm already leaving them! You could still find a cure, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"Imagine how disappointed they'll be if I'm cured." Kagome turned her head away. "I'm as good as gone to them."  
  
Inuyasha was thinking very hard. He had no idea what he was supposed to say to convince her otherwise. "Do you really mean that?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No you don't." Inuyasha said rather simply and mirrored her expression and looked the other way as she sharply looked at him.  
  
"Don't even dare presume you know how I feel!" she snapped. "Have you ever been told you were going to die?!"  
  
"Repeatedly. by my older brother at least three times a day." He responded casually and looked back. "But don't you always say something really harsh when you're in a mood and then later when you're back to normal you don't feel the same way?"  
  
Kagome scowled. "I am NOT in a mood!"  
  
"Sure you ain't." he smiled in a way she found rather patronising. "You're like this all the time now aren't you, so how can it be a mood?"  
  
Kagome clenched her fists. "I mean what I say and I don't want to see them! I could die tomorrow for all the good it'll do! What's the point in living out twenty odd days of my crummy life anyway?"  
  
"Why do you hate them?" he asked suddenly, with a slightly serious expression.  
  
Kagome winced. "I don't hate them exactly."  
  
"Then why don't you want to see them?"  
  
"I." she struggled for the valid reason, but it seemed nothing more than a petty excuse to isolate herself. "I don't know."  
  
"Kagome. don't leave them before you have to." He said softly.  
  
Something about his choice of words hit home and that firm shield she'd been holding up crumbled and she began to cry. Inuyasha froze in horror. he hadn't wanted to make her cry, just show her a little sense. This was his fault.  
  
"It's ok." He sat up quickly and stared at her. "You don't have to cry - it's not your fault!"  
  
"Yes it is!" Kagome whimpered. "I'm being stupid and mean. and I'm taking it out on my family."  
  
"It's understandable." He tried.  
  
"No it's not! I'm a nice person! I love my family to death and I wish everything would just go back the way things were!" Kagome cried. "Let me go home! I want to go home!"  
  
"You can't." he sighed, grimacing as her sobs grew louder. "This is a new virus. we can't release you from the hospital in case you infect other people."  
  
"I want my life back." she suddenly leaned against him, and it took all his will not to lean away in surprise. "I want my lawyer husband and my lawyer kids!"  
  
Inuyasha shuddered.  
  
After a few awkward moments, Inuyasha just sucked it in and wrapped an arm around her shoulders in a comforting way. This had the opposite of the desired effect, as she just started to cry harder and buried her head in his shoulder to smother her sobs. For once he demonstrated his somewhat strained limit of compassion and rubbed her arm. "It's ok. don't cry."  
  
It was only a few moments after he spoke that she pulled back, hiccuping softly. "Sorry. your shirt-"  
  
"It doesn't matter." He said quickly and smiled tightly. "You gonna be ok?"  
  
"Possibly. I just remembered you need to give me another dose of that medicine." she said shakily. "It's been over fifteen hours since the last dose, I might. you know."  
  
He nodded and sighed. "It's ok, you're not in any immediate danger, so you don't have to go back there so soon."  
  
"Good." Kagome nodded slightly and looked down. "Look. I'm really sorry for making things difficult for you."  
  
"Stop apologising, it isn't your fault." He chided her and pretended to stifle a yawn behind his hand, deliberately causing Kagome to catch to contagious yawning. She at once found sleep weighing heavily on her eyes and shifted around slightly to lean back against the sofa.  
  
"Can I stay here the night?" she asked tiredly, worn out from crying.  
  
Inuyasha just nodded and settled back as well, waiting for her to drop off so he could safely make it off to his own bed. Unfortunately. he was completely exhausted after such a hectic Monday and slipped off to sleep before her.  
  
Kagome smiled slightly as her doctor's head lolled to the side and murmured something in his sleep. Taking advantage of him in his sleep was a bit mean, but he wasn't about to complain, and she needed the comfort, so she leaned back against his shoulder and allowed herself to drift off, feeling better than she had done in a few days.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: hopefully next chapter should be up sooner. Until then - hope you have nice and happy lives ^_^ 


	9. The Wake Up Call

AN: Yep, I've finally gotten round to writing a new chapter and there's a nice little plot twist at the end (which will probably be a god send to people who don't like Kikyo).  
  
Anyway - since someone asked in their review for the pairing - it's definitely Inu/Kag, I don't usually do much else, with a little Miroku/Sango on the side ^_^  
  
There's probably some Kikyo/Delivery man as well somewhere... just kidding! ^_^  
  
Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
The Wake Up Call  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was probably the traffic noise from outside that had woken her up. Before she opened her eyes she became vaguely aware of a weight on up left leg and a faint puff of air against her cheek. Wondering what it could be she opened her eyes and found her nose was literally an inch or less from Inuyasha's nose. He seemed to still be asleep as his breathing was deep and heavy and his face was completely relaxed of the usual worried frowns and irritated scowls.  
  
Carefully she inched her gaze down and noticed her hand was resting lighting at his waist - a hand which she retracted rather quickly. She froze as he shifted and murmured something in his sleep, turning his head slightly.  
  
When she was sure he wasn't waking up she lifted her own head and looked further down. His leg... was the weight that was pinning her leg to the settee.  
  
"Oh boy..." she muttered to herself and cringed as she slowly tried to pry her other hand out from under Inuyasha's body. She stopped every time she thought he was going to wake up and tried to lean back as far as possible.  
  
The leg part was tricky... and she had a lot more difficulty trying to slide out of this one. Then he started to wake up...  
  
"Kikyo..." he murmured in his sleep as he began to stir.  
  
A fleeting thought ran through Kagome's head at the chief nurse's name, one which made her feel strangely dismayed.  
  
"B goes after A..." he sighed. "... moron..."  
  
With a great yank she pulled her leg out from under his and gasped as she toppled off the settee. The thud caused Inuyasha to come awake at once. "I swear it was Miroku! I didn't touch your files!"  
  
"Good morning." Kagome groaned from the floor.  
  
Inuyasha blinked and looked down as reality slowly returned to him. "What are you doing on the floor?"  
  
"Looking for Africa, what does it look like I'm doing?" she said sarcastically as she sat up, careful to keep her head bowed so her hair could cover her flushed cheeks.  
  
"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his head and ruffling up his hair.  
  
"About eight o'clock I think." Kagome started to stand and began to brush herself down.  
  
"Shit - I'm late!" he jumped up and ran off into the kitchen, before running back. "That's not the bedroom!"  
  
Kagome yawned widely as he disappeared into another room and bundled herself off to the bathroom. It wasn't long before Inuyasha came banging at the door. "Get out of there! It's MY bathroom!"  
  
"Yeah, but I ain't done yet!" she yelled back, using a finger to 'brush' her teeth with toothpaste. No way was she using her doctor's toothbrush, no matter how healthy it was about to be.  
  
"I'm late already - if you make me any later then I'll be taking my bad mood out on you all day!"  
  
"Jeez... I feel like we're married or something!" she yelled back and rinsed her mouth. "I could be naked in here for all you know!"  
  
the door suddenly opened and she jumped around.  
  
"You're not naked." He stated the obvious, barging past her to the sink.  
  
"Don't sound too disappointed." She retorted, heading back into the main room to fetch her shoes. Just as she'd slipped into them the phone rang.  
  
"It's for you!" she called.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Or it could be for the corpse or hamster that shares with you." Kagome grinned. "I'm just wild guessing here."  
  
"Pick it up."  
  
She was just about to say that she wasn't his slave or house maid, but the ringing was getting on her nerves. Kagome went to the table the phone was sat on and put it to her ear. "Hello, you're through to Doctor Inu's refrigerator box, how may I help you?"  
  
"Who is this?" said the young sounding woman on the other end, a woman with a familiar voice.  
  
Was it Kikyo?  
  
"I'm Inuyasha's rampant sex monkey, and who are you?"  
  
"His mother."  
  
Kagome clapped a hand to her mouth and stared in horror at Inuyasha who just came in. "Who is it?" he frowned.  
  
"It's for you." She repeated and shoved the phone into his hands.  
  
"Hello?" he asked curiously, before his expression faded slowly into realisation, and finally, irritation. He covered the speaking end with his hand and glared at her. "You - keys - car - now!"  
  
Kagome didn't need to be told twice and quickly picked her way across the room, grabbed the car keys that she'd stolen the day before, and ran down the stairs. She dived into the car when she reached it and finally allowed herself to grimace. She'd left Inuyasha to face the music, but it wouldn't be long before he would be down to give the music to Kagome.  
  
The temptation to just drive away without him was amazingly strong, and she had to sit on her hands to keep from reaching over to take the wheel.  
  
Only moments after she had actually gotten herself seated in the car, Inuyasha appeared at the entrance of the building, not looking at all like a particularly happy bunny.  
  
He yanked the door open rather harshly plonked down in the drivers seat and slammed the door after him - Kagome wincing at each loud noise. After a moment he released his clenched fists and turned a low glare on her. "I swear... I think I might have to kill you before I find a cure for you..." he ground out before snatching the keys and ramming them into the ignition.  
  
As soon as the engine turned on, so did the radio - the broken radio. The broken radio that emitted a loud screeching noise now that it was broken. They both gasped and covered their eyes before Inuyasha had to punch the mangled thing to kill it completely.  
  
Kagome remembered to just shut up and keep quiet for the rest of the journey before she met the same fate.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"And if you move from that spot - I will here it - and I will know that you moved. So no more running away or I will make the nurses give you more sedatives and ten point restraints. Got that?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't wait for Kagome's answer as he slammed the door shut to her room and turned around to head up to reception... only to see his mother coming up the opposite direction, apparently too distracted to notice him because she seemed to be talking on the phone.  
  
"I was talking to Mochiko the other day - HER son managed to get into a Lawyer firm last week." His mother was saying into the phone. "No stress - no wild parties for those lawyers you know - and HER son still calls her 'mom'! And NO strange girls are answering his phone in the morning when he's late for work! I can't believe you! No - I want you to listen to me before you start explaining your reasons - I won't believe it! It was Kikyo wasn't it! Wasn't it? No need to say anything - I know it was her - it sounded like her! And aren't you late for work - you're wasting my time Inuyasha, I have busy matters to attend to."  
  
She disconnected the call and looked up to see him coming towards her. She blinked. "That was quick."  
  
"Just trying to impress you, Fei." He smirked.  
  
She realised what had happened, since he managed to do this little trick on her nearly every time she called. Maybe once in a while she should check to make sure he was still on the line now and then to make sure she wasn't wasting her phone bill. She'd known him to go out for a coffee once when she'd called him, and he'd been back in time to say goodbye and put the phone down. Maybe she talked too much...  
  
"Don't trick an old woman." She snapped and put her phone away. "I was worried sick about you! I have half a mind to move in with you just to make sure you're ok. Strange girls... who was she?"  
  
"You're just worried you're little boy might not be a virgin any more." He said rather carelessly and she gasped, clearly outraged.  
  
"Don't use that word around me, young man!" she huffed before leaning forward. "I mean... you are a V aren't you...?"  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and started to quickly mooch away. "Could you just run some more tests on the Xycrophobin for me? Thanks!"  
  
"I haven't said 'yes' yet!" she yelled after him.  
  
"Please, Ma." He looked around sincerely with the most inspiring look he could manage. "I'm very busy today."  
  
The word 'Ma' had had it's affect though and she gave instantly. "Oh alright..."  
  
He found Miroku in reception again, seeing as Kikyo still wasn't turning up. "Beat it Miroku - I've got nothing all morning, you might as well leave it to me."  
  
"You sure?" Miroku put down the magazine he was reading and looked up at him. "I ain't busy."  
  
"Sango's coming in, don't you want to see her?" Inuyasha asked absently as he pulled down a little Christmas star that was hanging above his head.  
  
"Ok, Scrooge, you convinced me." Miroku was on his feet at once. "Now let me just get my lunch."  
  
He pulled open a drawer... obviously the wrong one because when they both looked down to see the contents they froze and stared. It was like they had just stumbled across a hidden trough of gold or something.  
  
"I think Sister Kikyo has been holding out on us..." Miroku stared at all the pens brimming in the drawer.  
  
"Look - there's that one that I got in the mail!" Inuyasha grabbed it and held it up. Noticing Miroku's strange look he jumped to his own defence. "Hey - I just liked the colour of the ink!"  
  
"No need... look... red... blue... black... is that pink?" Miroku rummaged around.  
  
"That's purple." They both grabbed it at the same time and glared at each others, having a minor tug of war.  
  
"Shouldn't you be going now Miroku?" Inuyasha asked tightly, gripping the purple pen tightly.  
  
"Yes." Miroku answered in the same tone, but not moving an inch.  
  
Suddenly Inuyasha looked past Miroku into the waiting area. "Oh hi, Sango!"  
  
Miroku let go of the pen at once and spun... to find no one there. He glowered around at Inuyasha who was happily kicking back his feet on the desk and writing something down on a prescription pad with his new pen, an evil smirk on his face.  
  
"You can't hold it forever." Miroku said warningly. "And when you put it down... I'll be right there to pick it up after you."  
  
He let the warning hang in the air as he stalked off while Inuyasha watched him stonily. Nope... he'd never leave such a cool pen hanging around...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Dogtor - ain't you supposed to be seeing me now?" An anonymous man called across the waiting room.  
  
"I'm busy!" Inuyasha called back angrily, fighting the giant yawn that nearly made it's presence known.  
  
"Bull! You're just reading!" the delivery man shouted back. "Here I am crippled and in agony and you're reading a book!"  
  
"I am not!" he quickly stuffed his book inside a magazine and held it up so the moron could see the front cover. "I happen to be reading about the latest medical equipment - I could save someone's life from this stuff!"  
  
"I didn't know Playboy had gone into medical science." The man answered.  
  
Inuyasha frowned before looking at the cover of the magazine... it was one of Miroku's. He clapped it down at once and made a mental note to throttle that surgeon until all his spare change fell out... all of Inuyasha's spare change fell out that was.  
  
He took his feet off the front desk and stuffed his book into a spare drawer. With a resigned sigh he got up and gestured to the delivery man. "Let's go then..." he grumbled, sincerely wishing that he could be somewhere else.  
  
Suddenly his pager went off and he looked down happily. "Yes! He's having a heart attack - I gotta go!"  
  
Aki quickly dodged out of the way as Inuyasha shot past. "Aren't you supposed to be looking after Mr Delivery man?!"  
  
"I got a page!"  
  
She gave him a stern look.  
  
"No seriously - isn't that great?" Inuyasha grinned and turned to run away again. "Look after reception and if Kikyo drops by tell her to go screw herself - she's fired."  
  
Kikyo was the hospital Sister... Aki wasn't going to tell her to go do anything, but then again she wasn't going to tell Inuyasha that either. Besides, Kikyo didn't seem to remember that she had a job, she hadn't been in for a three days now.  
  
With a sigh she sat down at the front desk and looked around for something to do... read perhaps - but not that magazine over there belonging to Miroku. She found a book that had been stashed hastily in one of the drawers and looked at the cover. "Little Women...?" she nodded appreciatively and wondered off with the book in her hand, totally forgetting the job she'd been assigned to.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome was bored again, and she didn't want to hang around in her room for much longer. The best thing she could do was play cards with herself. Apparently the doctors had thought it best to remove all kinds of expensive equipment from her room - including the TV... for some strange reason. And now that she couldn't watch the wonders of daylight TV she was bored out of her skull.  
  
After cheating at solitaire for the eighth time, she realised she had to get out of there before she lost her entire will to live. So she rolled out of bed and carefully began to get changed. She had to be quick though, otherwise the nurses would come in and tell her to get straight back onto the bed with that rather embarrassing backless gown.  
  
She slipped out of her room quietly and tugged her sleeve down over her hand to hide the IV needle so no one would recognise her as a patient. She wasn't planning on running away, she'd learnt her lesson by now. Somehow Doctor Inu ended up finding her no matter where she went. It could have been because she usually ended up in places she knew he would head for...  
  
She wouldn't admit it, but he was a nice breath of fresh air to have around. Well... at least he didn't burst into tears when he was talking to her... unlike a certain grandfather.  
  
Before long she found her way to reception, totally by fault of getting lost, not that she'd been aiming that way. The front desk was completely vacant, and there were a few rather annoyed people hanging around reception, stamping their feet since they'd just come out the cold.  
  
Someone spotted her. "Hey you - you a nurse here, sweet-cheeks?" a guy in a wheelchair asked.  
  
Kagome resented being called 'sweet-cheeks'. "No... but I'm an assistant, may I help you?"  
  
"Yeah - where can I find Dogtor Inu - he's supposed to be treating me."  
  
'And me' Kagome thought privately, but didn't voice so. "He's busy right now."  
  
"But my leg is killing me and this shackle fell on my head from no where the other day, and that needs bandaging - where's the service around here?!"  
  
"At the pub - you should try looking down there." Kagome said shortly. "Next please!"  
  
A woman with a young boy came forward. "Hello, I need to see Doctor Inu, he's my son's psychiatrist."  
  
"Really?" Kagome blinked in surprise at the boy - and suddenly recognised him as the one that had been sitting on her bed a long time ago. "What's the problem." Not that she thought she could help, she was just nosy and interested.  
  
"Well, it seems that the treatment worked... Shippo began talking for a while... but now he seems to have had a relapse, and he won't say a word to me... will you?" she looked at her son who refused to meet her gaze.  
  
Something about the boy's expression troubled Kagome, the last time she'd seen him he'd seemed fairly bouncy and talkative... now he seemed a bit dull...  
  
"Um... Doctor Inu's busy, I think..."  
  
"But I really have to go to work now - can't he see him again?" the mother asked.  
  
"I don't think so..." Kagome answered, her eyes on the boy.  
  
"Ok..." the mother sighed with resign. "I suppose I better drop you off with your father back home then..."  
  
Suddenly Shippo shot alert. "I wanna stay here!" he said quickly.  
  
"Shippo?" his mother turned to him in surprise. "Are you ok, sweetie?"  
  
She didn't get any more words out of him.  
  
"If you want, I can baby-sit him for a while until Inuyasha comes back." she offered. The kid didn't seem too much trouble, and she'd be glad for company.  
  
"If it's not too much trouble." The woman looked relieved. "I'll come by in a few hours to pick him up, I'll talk to the doctor then."  
  
"Ok." Kagome nodded with a smile as the woman lifted her adoptive son onto the desk and waved with a sad sort of smile of her own.  
  
When she was gone Kagome lifted Shippo down onto the swivel chair behind the desk. "So, what's up with the end of the world expression?"  
  
Shippo just looked flatly down at the ground.  
  
"You know, because it's not the end of the world." She pursed her lips. "Unless someone forget to send me the memo."  
  
Shippo smiled slightly but quickly suppressed it, though Kagome saw it and smiled in return. "You wanna do something interesting? Cause I'm bored."  
  
Shippo nodded meekly.  
  
"How about... reading a magazine?" she lifted the one she'd spotted on the desk, before dropping it as though it had bitten her. Shippo was leaning over to see what it was she'd just dropped, but Kagome quickly called his attention away. "How about we go check out those vending machines on the top floor - they have Yorkie bars in there, you know."  
  
Chocolate seemed the right thing to prescribe right now, and Shippo managed a weak smile and a nod. "Ok."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"How strong are you, Miako?" Inuyasha asked the ten year old girl casually as he tied the strings of his mask behind his head.  
  
"Very strong." She answered, watching him diligently from where she was lying on her back in her hospital gown.  
  
"Stronger than me?"  
  
"Yes." She said without hesitation.  
  
"Prove it." He stuck out his gloved hand to her. "Squeeze my fingers in your fist as tight as you can."  
  
She took the challenge and squeezed as hard as she could as one of the assistant nurses tapped her wrist, trying to bring the vein up. Miroku was stood on the opposite side of the table, watching and waiting for when the girl would be anaesthetised so he could operate.  
  
The grip on Inuyasha's fingers was beginning to weaken and he smirked at the girl. "Getting tired?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Tough. Keep squeezing." He said shortly and she renewed her efforts.  
  
"Got it," the nurse said and picked up an IV needle from the tray behind her. She handed it to Inuyasha who ripped open the sterile plastic wrapper.  
  
"Ok, Miako, this won't hurt one bit." He prepared the needle. "Ok... maybe it will hurt a lot... like a bee sting..."  
  
That got him off thinking about Kagome again... but he had to concentrate at the task at hand. He stuck the needle in and waited for the scream... but it never came. He glanced up and noticed that the girl hadn't even winced.  
  
"Good girl." He patted her arm.  
  
"I don't think it's working." Miako suddenly said.  
  
"You what?" Inuyasha looked at her.  
  
"I don't feel sleepy."  
  
He rolled his eyes plainly. "That's because I haven't given you the sleepy drug yet."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Who's the doctor here? Me or you?"  
  
"I guess that would be you." She said dully.  
  
"Right." He finished injecting the anaesthetic. "So when I say it's time to go to sleep, you will go to sleep. Right?"  
  
She didn't answer because she was asleep.  
  
"How rude." He sighed and pulled his mask off and glanced up at Miroku. "She's all yours."  
  
"Come on Aki." Miroku gestured to the nurse and they both started to wheel her off to theatre.  
  
Inuyasha finished packing away some of the equipment with the nurse before returning to the sink to wash his hands and brush the lint off his light blue smocks.  
  
His next destination would be to go check on his mother, to see how she was doing with the Xycrophobin, and then go check on Kagome... to see if she was still there and to give her a dose of the drug.  
  
But no sooner had he left the practise room did he spot someone rather unexpected sitting in one of the waiting chairs in the corridor. She didn't look good.  
  
"Kikyo...?" he frowned as she darted a look up at him. She wasn't wearing her uniform and it looked like she'd been crying. Did she know she was fired yet? "What are you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be at reception... or the unemployed office?"  
  
she stood up slowly and clasped her shaking hands together. "I came to see you... because you're my doctor."  
  
"Ok..." he said slowly.  
  
"I... I think I have Breast Cancer," her voice shook as she spoke and a cold feeling ran through Inuyasha, like maybe he'd shot himself with the anaesthetic instead.  
  
"Oh..." was all he could say, no more scathing remarks ready to fire.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: I swear I'm not being mean to Kikyo - it's vital to the plot. Those of you who actually bother reviewing, please press the blue button ^_^ 


	10. Let It Snow

AN: I'm in such a festive mood because it's almost Christmas! Yay! But I haven't done my Christmas shopping yet because I've been so busy... ¬_¬ Blame my boyfriend (which is another big Yay!) but my friends have currently been using the term 'a boyfriend isn't for life, just for Christmas' - they reckon I'm just using him to get rid of my stalker (remember him?) I still got him *sigh*  
  
Anyway, sorry about the continuing delays but I'm now exam free and I don't feel so stressed ^_^ So hopefully I should update more often. (I keep saying that don't I?)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Let it Snow  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"It doesn't work if you don't say anything, Shippo." Kagome told him lightly, gently bouncing a blue balloon on her lap.  
  
Shippo looked lost.  
  
"Ok - shall I show you how to do it?" she asked him as she slipped onto the floor to sit facing him.  
  
He nodded in response.  
  
Kagome quickly looked around the children's ward and noticed, with a smile, that most of the children in the ward were now listening with a rapt attention. Well... she wouldn't be hanging around here forever so she might as well blow her pride out of the water.  
  
She slowly exhaled before lifted the balloon to her mouth and quickly sucking in the helium within. She paused a few moment, holding her breath as she felt something funny happening to her throat. After a moment she grinned and chirped out. "Does anyone know the chipmunk songs? Because this would be the perfect time to sing one."  
  
The other kids burst out into laughter, including Shippo who seemed to have temporarily forgotten his miserable mood. "Let me try!" he giggled, holding his hands out of the balloon. Kagome handed it to him carefully, whilst humming strangely with her high pitched voice.  
  
"Wicked!" Shippo squealed when he was topped up on helium.  
  
"There's no change with you!" A girl with ghastly burns to her arms and throat giggled. "Can I have a go?"  
  
"Sure, Mayu, they're your birthday balloons." Kagome handed her a fresh balloon from the bunch that had been tied to the end of her bed.  
  
It wasn't long before everyone was pretty much gassed out.  
  
All the way down in reception, Aki was still reading her new found book when Miroku arrived. "You seen Sango?" he asked pointedly.  
  
"No - but she's coming in later." Aki pointed to Miroku's schedule board without looking up. "For her surgery."  
  
"But her appointment was two hours ago!" he pointed out.  
  
Aki blinked up at the board. "Oh yeah... guess she isn't turning up then."  
  
"Damn..."  
  
Aki narrowed her eyes at him. There was mistletoe hanging over the desk right between them and nobody was around. Normally Miroku just homed into mistletoe around Yule time, meaning he must really have something on his mind to distract him from a bunch of leaves. "Don't worry, I'll call her later and see what she's up to."  
  
"No, it's ok, I'll call her." He shrugged.  
  
"You sure you have her number?"  
  
He just looked at her flatly.  
  
"Never mind." She went back to her book.  
  
"Do you hear that?" Miroku suddenly asked.  
  
Aki listened... "It sounds like... a bunch of squirrels are singing Barbie girl."  
  
They listened for a few moments before Miroku shook his head, obviously assuming he was going crazy. "You stay there, I'll go find Inuyasha."  
  
Aki just nodded, though she didn't expect she'd have to sit there too long. A few of the other nurses were saying that Kikyo was back.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aki... what are you reading?"  
  
She held up her book to the approaching Doctor Inu. "Little Women. I just found it lying around - do you know whose it is?"  
  
"Probably one of the patients..." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Has Kagome been past - she needs her dose."  
  
"Um... nope." Aki shook her head. "But have you seen Kikyo? Me and the girls have been looking for her but she doesn't seem to be hanging around here. Do you know where she is?"  
  
"Yeah." Inuyasha looked unusually solemn when he nodded. No smirk, no annoyed scowls or frowns... in fact he looked fairly schooled in his expression. "She's a little bit ill so she's been looked at by Doctor Fei."  
  
"Doctor Fei?" Aki dropped her book into her lap. "Not serious is it?"  
  
"Uh... not sure yet." He frowned slightly as he rummaged through his inbox on the desk.  
  
"Why is Doctor Fei looking at her?" Aki asked.  
  
"Girl things."  
  
"Ah..." Aki knew that Doctor Fei was a Gynaecologist, so naturally they were probably very serious girl problems.  
  
"Any messages?" Inuyasha swiftly changed topics.  
  
"Yep - one from your landlord - he says he knows you have a hamster in your apartment, don't try and hide it."  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Next."  
  
"One from your mother - she says she hopes you're wearing clean-"  
  
"Tell her for the love of god 'yes'!" Inuyasha clenched his fist around a form. "Couldn't she ask me that face to face?!"  
  
Aki shook her head with a light smile. "And the last one is from your brother."  
  
"What does he say?"  
  
"You're going to die."  
  
"Ok... never mind..." Inuyasha shook his head and grabbed some files. "I'll just take these so it looks like I'm doing something."  
  
With that he turned and headed past the waiting room down another corridor.  
  
"Hey Dogtor!"  
  
"Busy!"  
  
He sped up a little as he rounded a corner, but stopped suddenly when a strange sound reached his ears. He frowned slightly... Had the Christmas elves gotten themselves drunk and ended up in hospital?  
  
He followed the sound, till he came to the children's ward and pushed the door open.  
  
There on the floor sat Kagome and several small children belting out the chorus to 'Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer' in very strange voices. He stared in stunned silence before clearing his throat. "Kagome!"  
  
She stopped singing at once and looked around at him. She quickly cleared her throat and spoke in a slightly normal voice. "Oh hi! Just thought I'd keep Shippo company down here."  
  
Inuyasha's gaze fell on Shippo who grinned sheepishly. "You! You said you weren't coming back!"  
  
"Yeah - well my pen broke!" he shot back, eyeing the purple one in Inuyasha's pocket. "But if you give me that one I'm sure I'll look after it better."  
  
"No!" Inuyasha clapped a hand over his pocket protectively and looked back at Kagome. "Come on, we have to go back to your room."  
  
"But we're having fun!" Kagome protested, her voice fairly normal now. "And I'm babysitting Shippo!"  
  
"Well he's safe here - come on!" He went forward and crouched beside Kagome to take her arm.  
  
Without warning Shippo jumped forward and stuffed the nozzle of a green balloon in Inuyasha's mouth, releasing the Helium at the same time. Inuyasha gasped and batted it away quickly, but it was a bit too late.  
  
Kagome looked delighted. "Say something!"  
  
"no!" he squeaked and the children practically fell over in fits of giggles. Inuyasha wasn't in the mood for this, so he just decided to shut up and haul Kagome after him.  
  
"Shippo," Kagome called over her shoulder as she tottered after the doctor. "You stay here - I'll tell your mom to pick you up here, ok? And don't overdo the helium!"  
  
"Please say he'll be gassed and dead by the time she arrives." Inuyasha muttered in a voice slowly returning back to normal.  
  
"That's not very nice, Inuyasha." Kagome frowned. "You have a serious problem with that patient."  
  
"Yeah, he has the problem of being a pain in the ass."  
  
"His dad abuses him."  
  
Inuyasha stopped dead and turned on her. "What?" he frowned at her. "That better not be a joke."  
  
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kagome folded her arms seriously.  
  
"I suppose he 'told' you this." Inuyasha snorted. "That kid fakes anything. He can talk - he just chooses not to. And he can spin lies too just to get your sympathy."  
  
"He didn't tell me anything."  
  
"Then how do you-"  
  
"He chooses not to talk at home because he's scared!" Kagome interrupted shortly. "When his mother dropped him off, she offered to take him back home to his father - but he all but screamed to stay here. I'm not blind, I know he doesn't talk at home because his father must threaten him."  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes sceptically. "That's just like you - to make snap judgements based on tiny little hints. You've probably got it all wrong!"  
  
"You'd assume the same if you'd seen him at the mention of his father!" Kagome suddenly clasped her hands together. "Please - don't send him back home without telling his mother about what's going on. She hasn't noticed - but don't let him go back into a house like that!"  
  
There was nothing Inuyasha wanted more than to send Shippo away... but he wasn't a complete sadist. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll tell Aki to talk to Mrs Kitsune when she arrives - Now will you just go back to your room and wait there for me to give you your dose!"  
  
"Fine - no need to shout." Kagome said defensively.  
  
"I am not shouting!" Shouted Inuyasha.  
  
Kagome just narrowed her eyes and turned to stalk off down the corridor. Inuyasha watched her flatly for a moment before calling out. "You're room is that way!" he pointed down the corridor behind him.  
  
Kagome turned slowly, narrowing her eyes further. "I knew that... I was just... stretching my legs."  
  
She flounced past him with a certain degree of dignity, before he sighed and went off to reception to speak to Aki.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
After speaking lengthily with Aki about Shippo's little problem, he turned to head back to Kagome's room. Or at least he would have if Sango hadn't chosen that moment to come in.  
  
"Where've you been?!" he suddenly burst out. "Miroku's been worried sick about you - he's been calling your house five times every minute - what's the matter with you?"  
  
"Jeez... it was just a traffic jam." Sango sighed. "No need to blow the volcano at me."  
  
"You were supposed to go under an hour ago, ya know." Inuyasha glanced at his watch. "You can't just turn up unexpected and demand surgery."  
  
"I'm not demanding anything!" Sango huffed. "I was just late because there were elf slavery protesters on the tracks of the tube - no one was going anywhere."  
  
"Elf slavery protesters?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"People protesting against the labour of elves under Father Christmas." Sango nodded, before seeing him snort. "I'm NOT making that up!"  
  
"Whatever. You still want the operation?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, please." Sango smiled happily.  
  
Inuyasha beckoned her over and grabbed some forms from out under Aki's elbow. He just pointed to the places where she had to sigh. "Sigh here, here, here, here, there, no - there! Here, here and... you're done."  
  
"But what about the rest of the stuff I have to fill in?" Aki asked, as Inuyasha hastily swiped his purple pen back from her.  
  
"Aki will fill that in, won't you girl?" Inuyasha dumped the papers in front of Aki and started frog-marching Sango down the corridor. "You know the way to surgery?"  
  
"Yeah, it's just down-"  
  
"Good - you go meet up with Miroku, if he's not too busy and I'll go check on Kagome."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Busy!" he yelled as he all but ran off.  
  
It was lucky he ran because he just reached Kagome's room as he was just beginning to leave. She didn't see or hear him coming as she carefully closed the door behind her, and so naturally jumped out of her skin when Inuyasha slammed a fist against the wall and barked in her ear, "Where do you think you're going?!"  
  
"Don't DO that!" Kagome yelled back, holding a hand over her heart as she tried to catch her breath. "Do you do that to all your patients?! Try and give them heart attacks?!"  
  
"Just the ones who try and run away!" he retorted.  
  
"I wasn't 'running away'!" Kagome clenched her fists. "I was coming to find YOU actually!"  
  
"Pull the other one."  
  
"I was!" She folded her arms. "What's taking you so long? I might have been in a coma by now."  
  
"I just got distracted." He ushered her back into her room and pointed to the bed. "Sit down."  
  
"It doesn't take much to distract you does it?" Kagome remarked sullenly as she hefted herself onto the bed and stuck her hand out that had the IV needle in.  
  
"Did I detect a hint of bitterness there?" Inuyasha asked. He set down the box that he'd brought with him and opened it to take out the syringe of diluted Xycrophobin with a small tube attached to the end.  
  
"I'm surprised you can even notice bitterness." Kagome said in the same tone as before.  
  
"Wait, have I done something to offend you?" Inuyasha paused his ministrations.  
  
"Apart from breathe... no..." Kagome sniffed.  
  
Inuyasha got back to working.  
  
"But that's just it."  
  
Inuyasha glowered at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he took her hand gently and began to attach the tube to the needle in the back of her hand.  
  
Kagome just sighed and looked around. "I'm a dying patient and you're barely here... I'm bored stiff and all you seem to care about are you stupid forms and nurses and being sued."  
  
He froze. "You won't sue for negligence will you?"  
  
She shot a glare on him.  
  
"Just kidding, jeez... " he started to squeeze the syringe and rubbed her arm gently.  
  
For some reason Kagome wished that he was rubbing her arm out of affection, but she knew that it was just because the medicine was cold and her arm went slightly numb while the dose was administered. When he was done he packed away the syringe while Kagome moved her arm stiffly. "You can run back to Kikyo now."  
  
Inuyasha slowly stopped and looked around at her. "Fine. If you're complaining so much about being bored, go out."  
  
Kagome snorted. "That's a fine idea. Except for the small problem that I'm not allowed out of this hospital. The most I can do is go play bollocks upstairs with the pensioners."  
  
"Don't you mean billiards?"  
  
"Um... probably."  
  
"Well that ain't much fun, so why don't we go down to the Higashi district for some fun?" he smiled lightly.  
  
Kagome's eyes widened slightly. "'We'?" she echoed uncertainly.  
  
"God knows I need a break at some point - I have three sick days that I can use this month, so we can take off tonight if you want."  
  
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few moments to find words. "You want to go out... with me?"  
  
"Do you have a hearing impediment too?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's what I said. So you better get your credit card out by seven - and make sure you wear something warm, cause it's cold out there."  
  
"Why my credit card?" Kagome frowned suddenly.  
  
"Well you're paying aren't you?" Inuyasha suddenly smiled. "Just kidding, I'll pay, but any stuff you want to buy for yourself, you'll have to pay for. It's not like you'll miss the money soon."  
  
It unnerved her slightly that he could talk about her dying so easily... but by him doing so, she found that it was less unnerving the more he said things like that. She had a feeling that tomorrow she probably would feel less fragile about it... especially after spending a night with an emotionally constipated tote like Inuyasha.  
  
"Git face..." she commented dryly.  
  
"Save the loving entreaties for later, because we'll be together for quite some time." He winked at her and grabbed his box as he went out.  
  
Kagome stared after him a while before flopping, face down, on the bed and groaned. She didn't like the slowly growing fuzzy feelings that she was feeling for a certain white haired doctor.  
  
Boy... if she said that to any of her friends they'd probably think she fancied an old doctor... Nope... just a young one.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Inuyasha snatched a leaflet from Kagome's hand as they sat down at the outdoor table of a café, since it was too full to eat indoors. "P.S.C.E? What the hell is this crap?" he asked, reading the leaflet.  
  
"The Protection Society against Cruelty to Elves." Kagome said seriously.  
  
"You do know elves don't exist, right?"  
  
"I had my doubts," Kagome smiled. "I just think it's funny."  
  
"You gave those PSCE people a thousand yen." Inuyasha snorted.  
  
"Well... out of pity..." she patted her pocket. "Plus I can afford to blow my life savings right?"  
  
"Don't go too nuts, I still might find a cure for you."  
  
"You better not. If I survive and blow all my savings I will be one dead woman." She laughed and took the menu. "Now what do you want?"  
  
"Just salad."  
  
"Too cheap - go for Lobster!"  
  
"Hey - I'm paying for the food remember?"  
  
"Oh yeah... go for Lobster anyway!"  
  
"Gimme that thing." Inuyasha handed the leaflet back and took the menu instead. "Oh my god... are these in Leera?"  
  
"Well it is Italian." Kagome pointed out.  
  
"Yeah but still..." he glared at her. "trust you to pick the most expensive place in Higashi."  
  
"If you want, I can pay." Kagome offered with a grin.  
  
Inuyasha pulled a face. "Yeah, but that'll make you the gentleman and me the leeching lady."  
  
"So, no change at all there then." She dodged the napkin that was thrown at her. "Just kidding! I thought you doctors were supposed to be rich!"  
  
"I already told you - we are."  
  
"Then why-"  
  
"Made a bet with a Surgeon miser..." he smiled tightly. "Let's just say my pockets are considerably lighter than usual."  
  
Kagome laughed and glanced around looking for a waiter. "Fine, I'll save the expensive meal to be my last meal. I'll just have the chicken sandwich today."  
  
"A wise choice." Inuyasha glanced down the menu to find something that sounded vaguely normal. He wasn't sure about the squid tentacle thing... When he looked up he noticed Kagome was staring off into the distance with a pent expression. He frowned and followed her gaze to see she was looking at a couple at another table close by. A romantic couple that were in their twenties and simply cuddling together for warmth out in the cold. In fact it was so cold that it was beginning to snow. Tiny, iddy-biddy flakes that didn't stick to the ground, and just melted.  
  
"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.  
  
Kagome turned her gaze to the table instead. Though she didn't seem too cheerful anymore. "Nothing."  
  
"Bull."  
  
"I was just thinking..." Kagome sighed. "The one thing that I want to do most before I die... is to have a family of my own..."  
  
"I know... you said before." Inuyasha glanced idly at the couple she'd been watching.  
  
"I'm not scared of dying..." she bit her lip and her voice wavered again. Inuyasha sat up as he sensed something happening to her eyes. "I'm just... sad that I'll miss so many things..."  
  
"You don't have to miss many things. You can still do them. All you have to do is tell me what you want to see." Inuyasha sat forward so he was leaning on his elbows.  
  
"I want to see my grandchildren."  
  
"Ok... do you have any?"  
  
"Not yet!" Kagome hastily wiped her eyes. "I wanted to be old before I died... you know... I wanna fall in love, get married, get pregnant - I want all of those things more than a career as a lawyer."  
  
Inuyasha didn't say anything.  
  
"I was waiting for the perfect guy to come along. I was SAVING myself! And for what? To die lonely!" she broke down onto the table in small silent sobs that shook her shoulders. "All my friends kept saying I should get a boyfriend - life was too short to wait and work! I had to have fun because I might get hit by a bus tomorrow! And I just said that that wouldn't happen if I looked both ways - I wanted to be careful. I didn't think there was any point rushing things - I would just regret them later. But now I've done absolutely nothing to regret... and I regret that most of all..."  
  
"You shouldn't be ashamed you waited." Inuyasha said softly. In fact he was pretty shocked that Kagome didn't have a boyfriend... she seemed like a wonderful girl... but if it had been a conscious decision on her part to remain single...  
  
"Yes I should..." Kagome shivered. "I regret it all! I've never fallen in love - I've never allowed myself to! I was waiting until I had my life set up so I could do it later... and now look where I am..."  
  
"At a nice café..."  
  
"I'm going to have an amazing gravestone aren't I?" Kagome sat up and hiccuped. "Kagome Higurashi... nineteen eight five to two thousand and two... didn't accomplish anything other than see the millennium and billions of other people saw that too... died a virgin!"  
  
She'd said that pretty loud actually, and quite a few people had glanced over to see the crying girl. Inuyasha just stared at her.  
  
"I suck! My little pitiful life sucks! And I'm so... so..." she trailed off as she buried her head in her arms again, against the table.  
  
"You're so what?" Inuyasha frowned, leaning closer.  
  
"... alone..." she said in a small voice.  
  
Inuyasha sighed somewhat sympathetically. "Kagome... lift your head up."  
  
"no..."  
  
"Look at me..."  
  
"No."  
  
"But you're food is here." He told her.  
  
She sat up straight away to make room. "But we haven't ordered any-"  
  
She stopped herself short as she felt Inuyasha's hand slide past her jaw to stop just beside her nape. She was just about to inquire as to what he was doing when she felt him pull her head forward into a soft warm kiss. Contrasting cold snowflakes fell on her cheeks, and from this close she could see one melting on Inuyasha's nose.  
  
It didn't last long, and he soon pulled back, but not far, and he didn't drop his hand. He smiled slightly to see that Kagome had been stunned out of her tears and was staring openly at him.  
  
"What was that for?" she whispered.  
  
"Have you ever been kissed before?"  
  
"Yes..."  
  
Inuyasha frowned at that. "When?"  
  
"Just now..."  
  
"Well... there's your first kiss..." he brushed a warm thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tear tracks and the melted snow flakes. Kagome was in a trance.  
  
"C-Can I have my second?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
The smile disappeared from Inuyasha's face, and for a moment she thought he was going to refuse. He didn't really know what had made him kiss her in the first place... he guessed it was just anything to make her stop crying... and now?  
  
He leaned in and was satisfied to see her close her eyes, before he closed his own and gave her a lingering kiss that lasted a lot longer than before.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Ooh... better leave it there and let your minds wonder... 


	11. Repercussion

AN: Sorry about the lack of updates - been really busy and I just learned that I completely failed my Maths exam T_T What a great week it's been for me.  
  
Anyway, here's the latest chapter - enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Repercussion  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
For once, Inuyasha seemed to be having a good day - and not the usual good day (like the ones that lasted two hours and then turned into rotten days) but the good type that stayed good all day and everything went without a hitch.  
  
Sango was recovering in her room from surgery (at last), Shippo wasn't back yet - meaning he was probably talking again. Kikyo was doing well since the cancer had been caught at a rather early stage - and Doctor Fei seemed pretty sure she would be in the clear soon enough. This was enough to put Inuyasha in a good mood - which made him less likely to snap, bitch, or traumatise patients - making sure that he didn't lose any more money to Miroku, and could afford a coffee for once at lunch (one that basically sedated him to make the day after lunch pleasant too).  
  
The only downside to the day was that the world outside was covered in snow and the roads coated in ice. People kept slipping up and coming into the hospital with broken god knows what and there had already been a few emergency arrivals from car accidents that morning. But THAT wasn't going to put a hold on Inuyasha's spirit.  
  
"Good morning, Kikyo." Inuyasha greeted happily as he reached reception, genuinely glad to see her there for once.  
  
She just glared at him. "Oh right... 'great' morning." She rolled her eyes sarcastically and blew her nose into a tissue.  
  
"What's up with you? Aren't you in the clear?" he asked, tapping his beloved purple pen on his clipboard.  
  
"Not for the cold I ain't." she sniffed through her thoroughly stuffy nose.  
  
  
  
"Well seeing as you're back at work - have I got any messages?" I asked as he began scribbling stuff down on his clipboard.  
  
"A few." She held them up to read. "The parking attendant says you have to stop parking in the disabled spot - they don't believe being an asshole is a handicap - you have to park somewhere else."  
  
"Tell them to bite me."  
  
"I did." She sniffed and continued. "Then there's one that came with a letter bomb this morning."  
  
"Sounds interesting. What did it say?"  
  
"'Scixelsyd eht taert'," Kikyo read carefully.  
  
Inuyasha stopped writing and looked up at her, "Do I need my ears syringing?"  
  
"Nope... you just have to read it backwards."  
  
"Oh..." Inuyasha nodded in realisation. "Well tell them to 'em etib' too."  
  
"Then there's this anonymous one... it says they're gonna kill you." Kikyo look up. "A former patient maybe?"  
  
"That would be Sess..." He shrugged indifferently and shoved the prescription papers towards her. "Tell that smoker woman... Mrs... Mrs... whatshername..."  
  
"Gin?"  
  
"Yeah - that's her. Tell her to come see me in the examination room after lunch." Inuyasha leaned against the front desk. "And tell the drinker woman that she has to stay up in the recovery ward until I say so."  
  
"She wants more drink."  
  
"Well don't give it to her!" Inuyasha scoffed. "No point drinking to drown her sorrows... by the looks of things, sorrow knows how to swim."  
  
Kikyo nodded and carried on with her filing.  
  
"Hey... you ok?" he asked over a short pause.  
  
Kikyo looked up suddenly, a small frightened look in her eyes before she covered it with a quick flash of a smile... that lasted a fraction of a second. "Yeah, fine. You're mom's a good doctor. She took good care of me."  
  
"But there's still a chance that the surgery hasn't completely removed the problem." Inuyasha frowned. "You know that right?"  
  
"Of course I know that." she had tried to sound spiteful there. She was a nurse after all, and she knew all about these things. But she'd just come off as sounding worried.  
  
"If you get any more problems don't hesitate to come see me, ok?" he said unusually gently.  
  
Kikyo stared at him a moment before ducking her head away and nodding quickly. She didn't want him to see her blush.  
  
"Inuyasha!" Miroku called as he arrived. "You wanna grab that coffee you've been on about all morning?"  
  
"Ok." Inuyasha grinned. "But after I give Kagome her shot."  
  
Miroku nodded in agreement and followed Inuyasha as he grabbed his black box with the Xycrophobin injections, and headed off towards Kagome's room.  
  
"So where were you last night anyway." Miroku wanted to know as they walked. "You took off all of a sudden."  
  
"Felt sick."  
  
"Wow... and I just saw a pig in the waiting room that had broken it's wing flying into Godzilla."  
  
"I hope it's not one of my patients." Inuyasha ignored his sarcastic jab. "For your information, I really was sick."  
  
"Yeah right... the day you get sick is the day the aliens invade." Miroku smirked. "And how come the nurses came to me and said that one of your patients was missing... Kagome I think it was..."  
  
"Probably ran away again." Inuyasha shrugged. His expression betraying nothing. "But she's back now."  
  
"And so are you." Miroku said evenly without a smile.  
  
Inuyasha flashed him a brief quizzical look before arriving at Kagome's door and pushing it open. "Morning."  
  
"Midday actually." Kagome tapped her watch from where she was sat up in bed (in her hospital gown for once). "What took you so long?"  
  
"Busy." Inuyasha smiled with a shrug and went to stand beside her bed while he prepare the dosage.  
  
Miroku stood back to let them continue.  
  
"Arm." Inuyasha ordered and Kagome stuck it out without question.  
  
"At least you're better than my patient." Miroku commented. "She refuses to take her medicine."  
  
"Why?" Kagome asked.  
  
"She thinks it's been tested on animals." Miroku answered.  
  
Kagome shuddered, half because Inuyasha was rubbing her arm as he administered the drug. "Animal testing is an awful idea... they get all nervous and start giving the wrong answers. Everyone knows that."  
  
Inuyasha laughed and finished up with the syringe. He continued to rub her arm for a few moments before dropping his hand to rest on her thigh. Neither of them seemed to notice the action... but Miroku's smile suddenly disappeared...  
  
"You feeling ok today?" Inuyasha asked, just to check.  
  
"Great. I feel like I could jump off tall buildings and live to tell."  
  
"Great - but don't really try it." He smirked. "Or is parachuting on your list?"  
  
"Nah... I'm never really good at things the first time around... and you know the saying..." Kagome shrugged. "If at first you don't succeed then parachuting really isn't for you."  
  
"You have to act on your dreams before the end of the month - except the ones where you're falling or walking to school naked... they aren't good dreams to act on." Inuyasha told her.  
  
Miroku shifted uneasily by the door as Kagome laughed.  
  
"Oh - by the way - since I'm forecasted to die on the 23rd of December... can I get my Christmas presents early?" Kagome asked sweetly.  
  
"Anything for you." Inuyasha grinned. "I gotta go to lunch now, but I'll be back in a few hours."  
  
"Oh... ok." Kagome looked a little put out, but held a brave smile. "I'll see you later then."  
  
"See ya." Inuyasha waved as he turned and left with Miroku who was remaining deceptively quiet. "What's up with you Miroku?"  
  
"You were flirting." Was the blunt reply.  
  
"Miroku... to you, any form of communication between a male and a female is flirting." Inuyasha snapped, his good mood beginning to evaporate.  
  
"Don't get me wrong, it's not that I'm shocked that you're capable of flirting... it's just... you're doing it with a patient." Miroku said carefully.  
  
"So?" Inuyasha scowled. "It's not against the law. Plenty of doctors and patients date..."  
  
"But she'll be dead in less than two weeks."  
  
It looked like his day was turning into his usual good day that turned bad halfway through. It looked like this was as close as he was ever going to get to a good day.  
  
"That's IF I don't find a cure!" Inuyasha snapped in response.  
  
"And IF you don't?" Miroku stopped and turned to him, forcing Inuyasha to stop as well. "What would you do then?"  
  
"I'd live with it!" he growled back.  
  
"And if she does live? You'll do what? Sure doctors date their patients, but you do know that it's illegal, right?"  
  
"Bite me Miroku."  
  
"Her family won't like it."  
  
"And what about you? You date Sango!"  
  
"What?!" Miroku gaped at him. "How did you know?!"  
  
"Oh for pity's sake..." Inuyasha groaned. "I knew before you did!"  
  
"But this is different! She isn't going to die!"  
  
"But you performed surgery on her - and a relationship could really have impaired your judgement!" Inuyasha berated him. "And you're going on at me for looking at Kagome the wrong way!"  
  
Miroku backed off. "Ok... ok... I guess... it isn't so bad. I don't think it'll effect your judgement in this case... so at least I don't have to report you - er - not that I was ever going to anyway!"  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.  
  
"But you have a problem. Your mom has been checking out Xycrophobin for ages and she's found nothing... you have to work on a cure yourself to if you don't want to lose her."  
  
It hit Inuyasha then that it hadn't been striking him recently that Kagome WAS dying. He kept forgetting that important factor when she was so happy, normal and healthy. But that wouldn't last long... and even though he'd been talking about it, treating it and helping Kagome through it... it hadn't really hit him.  
  
Now it had... just like the restraint had clonked the delivery guy on the head... But he tried hard to not let Miroku see that it had.  
  
"I know... I'm going to work on it tonight."  
  
"I hope you find something..." Miroku trailed off as his beeper chirped at his waist. "Oh Sango... um... a patient... needs me."  
  
He beat it hastily, leaving Inuyasha to get his coffee alone. But suddenly he didn't feel like coffee, as he doubted it would calm him for the rest of the day by now.  
  
So he just went back down to reception to get on with patients.  
  
"The smoking guy is in examination room six... your drink patient is in room twelve and Shippo and Mrs Kitsune are in room three..." Kikyo told him as he arrive. He didn't break stride as he passed her and headed for the three rooms.  
  
He arrived at the smoking patient first and immediately began coughing as he walked into a room full of smoke. "What the hell...? Can't you read?! No smoking in the hospital!"  
  
"Shh! I'm on the phone!" the woman hissed.  
  
Not a good way to speak to a ticked off doctor. Before she knew what was happening, the phone was snatched out of her hand, away from her ear, crunched into a flat phone and tossed into the disinfectant bin behind Inuyasha. She gasped and stared at him in shock. "What the hell are you doing!"  
  
"Stopping you from getting brain cancer... and stopping other people who are getting treatment for brain cancer in the other rooms from having their surgery interrupted by the signals from a mobile phone!" Inuyasha snatched the fag out of her mouth and stomped it on the floor. "How stupid are you anyways?!"  
  
"Hey! You can't come in here and talk to me like that! I'm not a nurse you know - I'm a patient! And one who's going to sue if you don't start being a little more well mannered!" the woman shouted.  
  
"You think I care?!" Inuyasha snapped back. "You know smoking is bad for you - just like everyone else. It's your fault if you've been doing it for so long and now you've got chest problems and heart conditions - my bedside fucking manner isn't going to save or kill you now!"  
  
The woman fumed... which was difficult to really see through all the smoke.  
  
"You want me to help you get better?" Inuyasha asked angrily. "Stop smoking! Stop pushing your life over the edge of the cliff deliberately! Stop wasting it while there are hundreds of people out there who wish they had a choice like you!"  
  
"Well that's it! I'm going to the public hospital. If I wanted to get treated like an idiot I would have gone to work. Good bye."  
  
Inuyasha wasn't sorry to see her go. And they both stomped off in different directions - the woman heading for the exit and Inuyasha heading for the drinking woman. He entered the room to see her crying.  
  
"He's left me!" she wailed as he stopped short at the sight of her. "He's left with that twenty year old fake blonde with the tan - he isn't ever coming back!"  
  
"Maybe he ain't coming back because you're an alcoholic." Inuyasha said shortly, and rather unkindly.  
  
The woman burst out into louder tears. Inuyasha remained unmoved.  
  
"You don't know what it's like for us women who get left by their men!"  
  
"Do you know what it's like for us men to be left by our women?" Inuyasha shot back.  
  
"It's the same thing!" she cried hoarsely. "I should just end my miserable existence now!"  
  
"Don't bother..." Inuyasha pulled a face. "You can live for as long as you want, it won't matter in the end. You'll still be dead for the same amount of time."  
  
"What?" She stopped crying to frown at him.  
  
"I ain't a psychiatrist - I don't deal with alcoholics - go talk to someone who cares!" He pointed out the door. "Or better yet - to someone who's having a good day!"  
  
The woman walked out in a huff. But at least she wasn't crying anymore.  
  
When Inuyasha planned on moving onto the next room he suddenly bumped into Miroku. "What?" he barked.  
  
Miroku held up his money filled pen pot with a smirk and jangled the contents loudly. "That'll be two hundred yen, thanks."  
  
"Oh - go and screw a flying pig!" Inuyasha snapped and went on to the third patient. He was on a roll today. Two patients dealt with in two minutes... that had to be some kind of record. (It doesn't matter that they went away uncured and unsatisfied).  
  
But now it was Shippo's turn... and if the brat was back then Inuyasha's mood really couldn't get any better. He shoved the door open and glared at the two people inside. Only when he actually realised what he was seeing did all those violent urges to kill and maim disappear.  
  
Mainly because someone else had already acted those urges upon Shippo it seemed.  
  
"Sorry for troubling you doctor..." Mrs Kitsune clasped one of her sons hands gently... it was obvious that she'd been crying. "But I had no other place to bring him..."  
  
Inuyasha barely heard her speak. He was too busy staring at Shippo. A horrible mangled cut streaked across his brow and it looked like his jaw bone had been crushed on the right. His right arm also looked badly damaged... bloody and bruised.  
  
Shippo didn't say a word... he didn't even raise his gaze from the floor.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey Kikyo - have you seen a purple pen lying around here anywhere?" Miroku asked hopefully as he reached reception.  
  
Kikyo didn't seem to be answering. She was hovering at the edge of the counter as though ready to take flight, chewing her lip worriedly. Miroku looked around and frowned back at her. "Something up?"  
  
"Mm." Kikyo hummed absently.  
  
"Am I intruding?" Miroku asked. "Cause I'll happily go screw myself if that's ok with you?"  
  
Kikyo didn't answer... mostly because she looked like she was concentrating hard. Now there was something Miroku didn't see every day. "Trying to remember what comes after seven?"  
  
"Eight..."  
  
Miroku had a strange feeling that Kikyo was on another plane of reality. "How's it hanging Kikyo?"  
  
"Low..." she shuffled away from the desk, before seemingly changing her mind and hurrying back before slapping her hands on the counter and looking determined. "This is ridiculous! I have to go tell the medical department!"  
  
"About what?" Miroku called after her as she marched off. "I mean - I swear we didn't PLAN to use those elves in slave labour."  
  
Kikyo didn't pay attention to his joke and hurried on. Forced labour on elves was one thing... but dating a patient was another... she had to do this for Inuyasha's own good, as well as Kagome's.  
  
She thought briefly that she may have only been doing it for her own personal good... but that was unacceptable.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"How did this happen, Shippo?" Inuyasha asked seriously as she pulled his chair closer to the examination table. He carefully brushed Shippo's hair out of the way to examine the extent of the damage. It should have hurt because the wounds extended above his hairline... but Shippo didn't even wince. Inuyasha glanced slightly accusingly up at Mrs Kitsune instead.  
  
"I..." she struggled to speak normally. "I had no idea... I thought... the nurse... when she said my husband might have... I didn't believe it... and then..."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her, still no less angry. "Are you leaving him?"  
  
The woman nodded without hesitation. "I just worry... being a single parent to an adoptive child... the agency might want him back..."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Like that matters right now." He dropped his hands away from Shippo and sighed. "You'll need stitching and I suggest he stays in over night. And he should get a consultation with the PROPER psychiatrist."  
  
"But I thought you were the psychiatrist...?" Mrs Kitsune frowned.  
  
"Uh..." Inuyasha dodged that question... he didn't want to be sued just yet. "Part time..."  
  
There was a knock at the door and it opened without any invitation. Inuyasha turned, about to tell whoever it was to piss off... until he recognised it was Doctor Fei... who looked very solemn indeed. Perhaps she was still annoyed about the whole girl in the flat in the morning thing.  
  
"What is it now?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.  
  
"Step out Inuyasha," his mother beckoned gently.  
  
"I'm in the middle of-"  
  
"It's ok... it'll only take a minute." She said with a false smile.  
  
It worried Inuyasha slightly, but he excused himself anyway and stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He was about to demand what the problem was when he noticed three other medical seniors standing around looking grave with their hands clasped tightly.  
  
The only time four officials ever appeared in one place was at the board meetings... outside board meetings was strange, and it usually spelt trouble (something Kikyo couldn't quite spell ^_^).  
  
"Is this about dropping the anthrax?" Inuyasha asked quickly. "Because if it is - I swear it was only sugar!"  
  
"It's not about that Inuyasha." His mother shook her head slowly.  
  
"We're relieving you of one of your patients." The man behind her stated.  
  
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "Which one?"  
  
"Kagome Higurashi."  
  
For some reason he felt half thankful. A weight had suddenly been lifted off his conscience. "Why?"  
  
"We heard tell of a little dallying..." the man said again, looking stern. Inuyasha mentally cursed Miroku. "Plus, we all agree that maybe giving you this particular patient was a bit of a mistake... a bit out of your expertise."  
  
"But I'm an expert in all fields." Inuyasha ground out.  
  
"Not in death you are not."  
  
His mother jumped in. "We're giving her to another doctor. He'll take over the search for the cure... it's off your shoulders. You don't have any reason t0 speak with her anymore."  
  
"Is that understood?" the second man raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Yeah..." Inuyasha sighed and looked down. "I was going to come to you anyway and request for another doctor to handle her..."  
  
Doctor Fei's expression softened. "I know it's hard, son... I think this is best."  
  
"I think so too..." he pulled a little frown before looking up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a patient to go back to now."  
  
That was all there was to it. There was no reason he should see Kagome again unless they bumped into each other by chance. But then his mother had to go say the worst possible thing as he started back towards the door.  
  
"Doctor Kouga will be taking over."  
  
Inuyasha nearly put a fist through the door. His mother suddenly remember the not-so-friendly rivalry between the two young doctors and winced. "Sorry..."  
  
Inuyasha clenched his fists and forced himself to remain calm. "S'ok. He can have her... I don't care."  
  
Now if Kouga managed to find a cure after all the sleepless nights Inuyasha had spent awake in the lab trying to find it... Inuyasha might just pull a lemming and jump off the building after all.  
  
He shut the door in a controlled manner, making sure he didn't slam it and alarm the two victims in the room. He smiled tightly as he sat back down on his wheely chair and pulled a tray on a stand forward. He clicked his fingers before Shippo's face to get his attention and pretended to smile comfortingly. "I'm just going to give you local anaesthetic... and then I'll stitch that wound on your head, ok? You'll have to go see Miroku to have your jaw fixed. So don't try and talk between now until after your surgery."  
  
Shippo nodded meekly while Inuyasha set to work, trying very hard not to think about Kagome.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome sighed dimly as she leant back to check how even her toe nail polish was. She wrinkled her nose critically and moved onto the other foot. When she was finished she wriggled her toes... or she would have... except she couldn't...  
  
She tried to wiggle them again, but she could only move her foot. It felt like her toes were numb... and when she pinched them she didn't feel much, only a slight whisper of tingles.  
  
There was a knock at the door, diverting her panic momentarily and she looked up with a relieved smile to see Inuyasha had arrived at last. He'd been gone for hours. But her smile abruptly vanished when she saw a dark haired doctor enter instead. He smiled placidly and walked over to stick his hand out.  
  
"Hello Kagome, I'm Doctor Kouga," he smiled as she hesitantly took his hand and shook it.  
  
"Uh... hi...  
  
"I'm your new doctor."  
  
"What happened to Inuyasha?" Kagome asked quickly, almost dropping her polish.  
  
"He's handed you to me for the duration of your illness." He nodded. "I'll be treating you from now on."  
  
Kagome couldn't find the words to describe how she felt. But afterwards, the nurses who attended her could only describe it as 'a careening trip down the hill of health'.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Now what does that mean??? Tune in next month to find out! (actually... I'll probably update sooner than that...) 


	12. A Turn For The Worse

AN: awww... poor Kagome. Well, better continue and fix this problem for you all ^_^ - And you all thought that KOUGA was the delivery guy!... the thought hadn't even occurred to me...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
A Turn for the Worse  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Miroku rounded the corner into the lab and stopped short when he saw Inuyasha was inside. Not that Inuyasha was actually doing any work... in fact he was tearing pages out of his jotter and crunching them up into balls to juggle with. Miroku looked at his watch with a frown. "Aren't you supposed to be curled up in your bed now? You should have clocked out hours ago."  
  
"I'm here every night Miroku. You know that." Inuyasha said evenly, tossing two balls into the bin opposite his table and tearing three new ones out of his book.  
  
"Yeah... but usually you're working on..." On a cure for Kagome.  
  
"Got no work now. Can't be bothered going home. What's the point? Just have to come back again in six hours."  
  
"Oh damn... are you getting depressed?" Miroku sighed. "Because if you are - I think you need to take a vacation."  
  
"Bite me."  
  
Miroku shifted uneasily. "I heard about what happened... you transferred Kagome to Kouga." Everyone knew Inuyasha would never willingly give up a patient to Kouga... maybe someone else... but never Kouga. "I guess the medical board found out about-"  
  
He stopped short as the jotter Inuyasha was using slapped him bang on the face. Miroku sniffed and wriggled his nose, checking if it was broken. "Ok... I can see you don't want to talk about it. So I'll just be on my merry way."  
  
Inuyasha carried on juggling until he ran out of paper and the bin was overflowing with balls. He sighed and rapped his fingers against the desk, wondering what the hell he was supposed to do now. He was tired... but he didn't want to go home... if anything he was feeling guilty about dropping his search for a cure.  
  
Maybe he should play the coma game to pass the time...?  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Here's the rest of Inuyasha's research into the illness." Aki yawned as she handed Kouga a few folders.  
  
"Any recorded incident of her losing motor control in her legs?" he asked.  
  
Aki shook her head, rubbing her tired eyes while standing by his desk.  
  
"So this is a new development." Kouga remarked. "Ok... send the girls over to check up on her through the night, ok?"  
  
Aki nodded slightly until frowning. "Some of the others have noticed that she's regressing."  
  
"Regressing?" Kouga frowned up at her.  
  
"Yeah... well... like, yesterday she seemed all happy... today she's regressed back to Stage Four... Depression. She won't eat, she won't talk, she won't go out..."  
  
Kouga shook his head. "That will probably be the expected affect. You think she would be happy with losing her ability to walk?"  
  
"The girls think it could be because of Doctor Inu..."  
  
Kouga shook his head. "That wouldn't cause depression. Who could get emotional over that blockhead anyway?"  
  
'Kikyo...?' Was Aki's silent guess.  
  
"You can get back to your duties." Kouga informed her abruptly.  
  
Aki stifled another yawn and left his examination room to go back to her rounds. Her first stop was of course Kagome's room. She opened the door quietly and smiled as she approached the bed. "You ok, Kagome?"  
  
Kagome's expressionless face remained staring straight ahead at the opposite wall. She'd been bed bound for the last day now that she couldn't use her legs. She hadn't spoken a word since then.  
  
"Do you need anything?" Aki asked.  
  
Kagome didn't respond... almost as though she couldn't hear anything. Aki didn't let her concern show and just smiled placidly as she started towards the door again. "Use the call button if you want something, there's always someone down the hall if you need them."  
  
Kagome still didn't respond.  
  
Aki shut the door behind her quietly and went to check on one of Miroku's most recent patients. Sango.  
  
Someone really should have warned Aki that Sango was a fast talker and could drag almost anything she wanted out of a person...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Here's someone who rolled out of bed on the wrong side." Sango greeted Inuyasha the next morning. She'd heard him coming... the various angry shouts had given him away. Then she noticed that he was still in the same clothes as yesterday. "Or should I say rolled off the work bench... what happened to you?"  
  
"Do NOT get me started, Sango." He growled with barely restrained anger. "I am SO not in the mood for quick fire questions today."  
  
"It's about Kagome isn't it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Kouga?  
  
"No!"  
  
"It's about both of them together?" Sango winced. "Ooh... that sounds like it bites."  
  
"It does - wait - shut up Sango!" Inuyasha snapped and stomped to her bedside.  
  
"Let me take a wild guess here..." Sango said vaguely as he took her arms and began to unravel the bandages. "You got too tired or scared of looking after Kagome and so handed her over to Doctor Kouga?"  
  
Inuyasha froze and stared at her.  
  
"Just a wild stab in the dark." Her tone was light but she didn't crack a hint of a smile. For once she looked angry at him. "Your nurses talk too much about your other patients."  
  
Inuyasha's fists clenched. "They shouldn't. It's against regulation. You shouldn't even know Kagome's name."  
  
"What am I going to do with it?" Sango rolled her eyes. "My profession commits me to confidentiality. I'm not allowed to talk about my customers of patients to anyone... I won't do it for you either."  
  
Inuyasha's expression remained schooled as her turned her hands this way and that to check her wrists.  
  
"So are you a cowards, are were you really just so cold as to brush a patient off?" Sango asked suddenly. "I suppose you really don't like your patients after all. I guess all you see when you look at us is a product. The ones that are going off are heading straight for the body bag - the ones that live get shipped out as soon as possible."  
  
"Goes to show what you know." Inuyasha replied tightly.  
  
"God... I don't even know why I'm trying here..." Sango snorted and shook her head. "You're such an asshole I kinda want to transfer to Kouga as well. Maybe he would care more... and I KNOW he has more manners."  
  
Inuyasha 'accidentally' pressed too hard on her healing incisions.  
  
"Ow!" Sango snapped her arm back. "Watch it!"  
  
"Oops." He said unconvincingly and pulled her hands back. "How do they feel anyway?"  
  
"Ready to punch holes in certain block heads." Sango hissed through her teeth. "Wanna see?"  
  
"Drop it Sango. My patients are none of your concern - so shut it and concentrate on healing for once instead of sticking your nose into other peoples business." Inuyasha snapped.  
  
"I should give you a piece of my mind..." she glowered at him.  
  
"Before you do that you better make sure you have enough to spare." He smirked.  
  
"Oh how witty..." Sango gave him a withering look. "I'd love to continue the battle of wits but you don't seem to have much ammunition."  
  
"Whatever..."  
  
"I suppose your proud of yourself..." Sango taunted. "Making a poor girl sick."  
  
"Who? You?" Inuyasha snorted. "You bet I am."  
  
"I'm talking about Kagome." Sango snapped.  
  
Inuyasha shot her an unreadable look before narrowing his eyes. "What are you on about? Kagome's fine."  
  
Sango laughed without humour. "Oh sure... she's not sick at all! The fact that she's lost the use of her legs due to muscle deterioration - thanks to that virus that will kill her soon! Oh - and Kouga also has updated her life expectancy! She doesn't have two weeks... she has three days at the most to live."  
  
Inuyasha stared at her.  
  
"Congratulations, Doctor. You've managed to avoid another patient dying on you." Sango's glare was almost livid, even though she hadn't met Kagome. "But I suppose she was heading for that body bag right from the start..."  
  
"Who told you all this?"  
  
"One of the nurses. Last night."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Like hell I'm going to tell you that." Sango flexed her fingers angrily, something she'd only recently been able to do. "All you need to know is that it's your fault."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head. "You don't know anything. How can it be my fault - I did all I could for her!"  
  
"And a little bit more as well, I know that!" Sango snapped. "But then you act all cold and callous to her and give her to another doctor without explaining why! The poor girl probably thinks you hate her - she probably thinks she's going to die alone, unloved and a cripple!"  
  
Inuyasha opened his mouth to retaliate but Sango was too quick.  
  
"This is your fault! Go see her right now and apologise!"  
  
"Hang on - I'm your doctor! You can't tell me what to do!"  
  
"GO!" Sango yelled and pointed to the door.  
  
"No!" Inuyasha stood his ground. "Make me!"  
  
"Or else I swear you'll regret it!" Sango hissed so dangerously that Inuyasha rethought his decision.  
  
After a few moments silence Sango spoke. "Are you reconsidering?"  
  
"I'm reconsidering, reconsidering." He clenched his fists. "Ok... I'll go AFTER I see my other patients."  
  
Sango flopped back smugly and watched him leave. When he was gone she broke into a wide grin. "Sucker..."  
  
Kagome was way smarter than anyone gave her credit for...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Mr Takeo was the next patient on his rounds, but unfortunately... he had to share the blind guy with Miroku. Someone Inuyasha did not wish to see or speak to right then.  
  
"You seen Kagome recently?" Miroku asked idly when Inuyasha arrived in the examination room.  
  
"Should I have seen her?" Inuyasha responded with barely contained malice. "I thought you told me I wasn't allowed to?"  
  
"Uh..." Miroku looked stumped. "No... you can see her... why shouldn't you be allowed to."  
  
Nervy words coming from the guy that had told on Inuyasha and Kagome.  
  
"Hello? Can I get treatment some time today?" Old Mr Takeo asked from where he was sipping his coffee.  
  
Inuyasha shot him a glare. "You know what I'm doing? I'm giving you the finger."  
  
Miroku rolled his eyes as Inuyasha was obviously doing no such thing, and made a gesture of money to the other doctor that earned him another glare.  
  
"Don't trick an old man." Mr Takeo scolded Inuyasha with a finger as he put down his coffee on the examination table. "You ain't giving me no finger."  
  
"Are you sure you're blind?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"That's right... I'm just pretending."  
  
Inuyasha muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'crazy man'.  
  
"Hey - I ain't crazy! I'm just a sane man living in the body of a nut." Mr Takeo nodded convincingly.  
  
"Right then..." Miroku glanced up at Inuyasha. "You gonna take his blood pressure or am I?"  
  
"I don't know, Miroku." Inuyasha said with his back turned. "You usually like taking the pressure off me, so why don't you do it?"  
  
Miroku stared at him. "I'm just guessing here... but are you mad at me for some reason?"  
  
"What makes you say that?" Inuyasha turned with unnerving calm.  
  
"He's just guessing." Mr Takeo answered for Miroku.  
  
Inuyasha shot Takeo a stony look while Miroku cottoned on. "Oh... you think that it was ME who told the medical heads about the Kagome thing!"  
  
"I certainly see why you passed YOUR surgeon exam."  
  
"Inuyasha - I swear I didn't say anything!" Miroku said quickly. "I told you I wouldn't say anything and I didn't!"  
  
"Nice try Miroku - but you were the only one who knew about it! Who else would have blabbed to the medical board?!" Inuyasha growled.  
  
"I don't know - but it certainly wasn't me." Miroku huffed and folded his arms. "As if I was the only person who saw you getting friendly with Kagome."  
  
"This is better than the soap operas..." Takeo muttered.  
  
"So if it wasn't you then who was it?"  
  
"I don't know... Aki... Kouga... Kikyo..." Miroku shrugged. "They're about it who would really know about it."  
  
Inuyasha clenched his fists angrily.  
  
"So spill the beans." Mr Takeo rubbed his hands together. "This sounds like one saucy affair if you ask me-"  
  
"No one's asking you anything." Inuyasha ground out.  
  
"Is Kagome a nurse? Your girlfriend? Or better yet... a patient?"  
  
Inuyasha glared a moment before silently reaching out and knocked over an empty tray beside his cup of coffee, making the cup clink. "Look out, Mr Takeo! Hot coffee is spilling everywhere!"  
  
Mr Takeo didn't react. "Don't trick an old man, boy."  
  
Miroku sighed. "Mr Takeo, you have some mustard on your cheek."  
  
"Oh..." the old man turned to rub it off. Pity it wasn't there to begin with.  
  
Inuyasha folded his arms and glared at Miroku meanwhile. "But I suppose you've heard from Sango about Kagome... regressing... right?"  
  
Miroku nodded. "Aki told me this morning."  
  
Aki seemed to be telling people a lot of things apparently.  
  
"I think you should go see her..." Miroku said gently. "She hasn't really got long now..."  
  
Inuyasha frowned lightly, looking down at his hand that rested on the table.  
  
Mr Takeo turned back around. "Is it gone?"  
  
Miroku shook his head. "It's still there."  
  
"So what am I supposed to say to her?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. "It's not like I can comfort her... she's gonna die soon..."  
  
Miroku shrugged. "Tell her you care... that you don't hate her... even if you don't care about her you don't have to tell her. She should at least die happy..."  
  
Inuyasha was silent, mulling over this.  
  
"You can go see her now... I'll look after Mr Takeo." Miroku offered.  
  
After a brief moment of hesitation, Inuyasha turned and walked out. Miroku turned back to Mr Takeo who pointed to his cheek. "Is it still there?" Miroku smiled and shook his head. "You have some on the other cheek too."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Surprise, surprise... Kagome wasn't in her room when Inuyasha arrived there. For a moment he puzzled over that since she couldn't really have walked off... before realising a wheelchair must have been hanging around. He noticed something lying on the bed and walked over to pick the note up.  
  
"I have gone to find myself..." he read, before turning it over and looking at the back. "If I should return before I get back, please tell me to wait...?"  
  
Perhaps Kagome had finally lost it.  
  
Best go check the roof first.  
  
As headed down the corridor he vaguely wondered what he was supposed to say to her. He was used to her acting pleasant and happy now... what was he supposed to say to bring her out of depression. He rounded a corner and came to a screeching halt.  
  
"You won't be laughing when I stick a pole through your wheels!"  
  
Two blurs shot past him and his hair blew softly to the side. It took a moment for him to realise what was going on.  
  
Kagome and Sango were having a wheelchair race down the main corridor with cheering spectators at each end. He glanced down at the pair who were fast reaching the finish line (a roll of white bandage).  
  
Sango got there first and threw her hands up to cheer. "Oh yes! Whose the best?!"  
  
"That's not fair! You have an electric wheelchair!" Kagome protested, but she was laughing and wheeling herself in circles.  
  
Inuyasha had seen enough. "Kagome! Sango!"  
  
Both girls looked up and Sango smiled sheepishly. "Oh crap... well... um... I gotta go... see ya Kagome!" she hopped out of her chair and hurried off... obviously her arms were feeling a lot better.  
  
Kagome grinned as she wheeled her way over to where Inuyasha stood... the wheels squeaking ominously.  
  
"Going for the sympathy vote?" Inuyasha asked quietly.  
  
"Do you think I'd really let myself get worked up over a small detail like this?" Kagome laughed and wheeled past him. "This is actually pretty cool! I don't have to walk anywhere - everyone holds doors open and people act really nice when they hear my squeaky wheels coming."  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
"That's why I won't let anyone give me any oil for them." Kagome cocked her head. "Haven't seen you in a while. Been extra busy?"  
  
"Fairly..." Inuyasha frowned. This was not what he'd expected at all. "Are you ok? I mean... everyone was telling me that you were all sad and depressed..."  
  
"Oh that!" Kagome gasped and smiled. "Well I heard from one of your nurses that you and Doctor Kouga had a rivalry thing going on. So I thought it might show him up if I suddenly got really ill and depressed around him. Whose the better doctor now?"  
  
"Still him... everyone blames me for it." Inuyasha scowled.  
  
"Why? You only gave me to him because you were worried." Kagome said simply.  
  
Inuyasha stared at her. "What?"  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're so obvious. At first I thought you didn't like me... or you wanted to end it because I was going to die and you were scared - until I realised that you weren't like that. You ended it because you liked me too much. You were worried about getting too attached, right?"  
  
How the hell could she be so bloody perceptive. She'd hit the nail right on the head and put into words what Inuyasha couldn't even sort out in his head. He suddenly understood his own reasons because Kagome had figured them out before he had.  
  
"That..." he shook a finger at her. "That's very smart... but way off."  
  
"Oh really...?" Kagome cocked an eyebrow. "So why DID you give me to Kouga?"  
  
Because Kagome was going to die soon and Inuyasha didn't think he could handle it if he loved her any more than he did right then...  
  
A strange expression had passed over Inuyasha's face, and Kagome looked around, noticing that people were still hanging around. She wanted it to be a private conversation, so she stood up carefully, pushed the wheelchair to the side and took Inuyasha's hand.  
  
He seemed surprised. "How can you-"  
  
"Only for a while - step into my office." She opened a storage room door and stepped inside, dragging him inside before shutting the door.  
  
Only then did Inuyasha realise how small these rooms were... and being shut inside one was quite... unnerving.  
  
"Ok, no one can hear us here unless our enemies have the place bugged." He really hoped she was just joking. "So now you can talk."  
  
"Kagome... we really need to talk..." he breathed deeply and closed his eyes, trying to battle the sense that the walls were closing in on him.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "That's what we're doing."  
  
"I'm sorry I gave you away to Kouga... it's just... I had to... someone found out about that time I took you out... they told the board and they took it upon themselves."  
  
"So it had nothing to do with you?" Kagome frowned as Inuyasha seemed to be very uncomfortable.  
  
"Actually... I probably would have done it anyway..."  
  
Kagome blinked in surprise. "Because you didn't want to get attached?"  
  
He didn't want to lie... but he couldn't bring himself to let her get attached either. "No... I gave you to Kouga because... because... um..."  
  
"Inuyasha... are you claustrophobic?"  
  
"No!" he answered quickly before folding. "Ok - yes - but don't tell anyone!"  
  
"Oh... so you're a CLOSET claustrophobic." Kagome grinned.  
  
"Ho, ho, ho..." Inuyasha shook his head. "Anyway... what were we talking about?"  
  
"Why you gave me away?"  
  
"Oh yeah... because I... didn't want to lead you on..." Inuyasha said slowly. "It was wrong of me to kiss you... I shouldn't have done that, I fooled you... I'm sorry."  
  
The smile slowly disappeared from Kagome's face. "You mean..."  
  
"I didn't want to lie to you..."  
  
Kagome leant back a bit... "Oh... I see..."  
  
"Kagome, look, I'm really sorry, I never wanted to go that far and hurt you like this-"  
  
"People told me you were a jerk." Kagome cut him off. "But I can see now that you're not... you're just a complete sadist ass."  
  
"Now that's a little - wait!" he tried to steady her as she threw herself at the door with an unsteady stagger. Kagome just shook him off.  
  
"I can do it by myself - I don't need you!" Kagome snapped, tumbling out of the store room and into her wheelchair.  
  
The last thing he heard was the squeaking of her wheels as she went away. Inuyasha kicked himself mentally and banged his head against the wall. She was right of course... he was a complete ass...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Sorry, have to leave it there for now - back soon ^_^ 


	13. Remorse

AN: Fast losing my voice right now... I sound all croaky and all Jacken-ish  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Remorse  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Three days had come and gone... and Kagome was still alive, making Kouga want to rethink his prediction of her death. He'd taken more blood samples and sent it off for testing. Of course he'd had to make the ever witty comment that Kagome would probably be dead by the time they got the results back.  
  
Somehow... Kagome didn't feel so wonderful about dying anymore. Kouga made her feel uneasy... that dying just happened and the only thing that could be done about it could be predicting it. So far she'd seen no evidence that he'd been working on a cure...  
  
Inuyasha had been better in her book. He'd joked with her... she'd known he'd worked on a cure. Sometimes she'd sneaked off at night to go find some action in the game rooms upstairs... she'd once come across him working in a lab... or more like sleeping in the lab.  
  
She'd gone inside to check that he hadn't popped his clogs, only to find that he'd knocked himself out over working for her cure. Her heart had really warmed to him then. He'd given her hope and he'd treated her like a human being... Kouga treated her as a patient. He distanced himself and had already decided that she would die soon so there was no point working himself extra hard for a cure.  
  
But he'd surprised her.  
  
"I called your family here today to discuss a possible treatment for your virus." Doctor Kouga sat at the end of Kagome's hospital bed while Kagome's mother and grandfather stood hesitantly near her side.  
  
"What treatment?" Mrs Higurashi asked quietly, but she was obviously hopeful.  
  
"It may be a little radical... but so far I don't see any harm in trying it." Kouga shrugged. "She's going to die anyway, so the risk is worth accepting I think."  
  
Kagome's hand flinched slightly at his casualness. Inuyasha had been casual... but somehow this was different. This is was being casual without caring. Inuyasha had been casual because he'd known that was how Kagome could accept it. Kouga just didn't care.  
  
"What treatment?" Kagome asked, repeating her mother's question.  
  
"What I'm proposing is a total blood transfusion." Kouga plunged right in. "But with your body in such a fragile state that would normally be asking for certain death. But if it works then there is a chance that the virus will be swept from your system."  
  
"And I'll get better?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Kagome's grandfather frowned. "Why didn't the other doctor suggest this?"  
  
"Probably didn't occur to him." Kouga smirked slightly, making Kagome want to kick him. And she probably would have tried if he hadn't been sitting on her foot. "But I can't be a hundred percent certain that this will work. And during the procedure we wouldn't be able to give you sedative or anaesthetic because the virus rebukes it and makes you fit. So the pain would have to be endued..."  
  
"What are the chances of her pulling through?" Mrs Higurashi asked, her father put a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
  
"I can't be certain, but I'd roughly say around the area of... fifteen percent chance of success and complete recovery."  
  
Kagome didn't like those odds, and it must have showed on her face.  
  
"It's better than zero percent chance of survival, Kagome." Kouga told her directly. "Do you want to try it?"  
  
Kagome didn't reply. She simply turned over in her bed and closed her eyes, promptly ending the discussion. Death was a more welcoming idea to her then... because being alive was just one pain after another, physical and mental...  
  
She was exhausted of living.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"So you're just going to let them let you die?" Sango didn't understand her. "Why?"  
  
"Because..." Kagome grabbed another balloon and popped it with a pair of scissors.  
  
"Because?" Sango yanked the balloons away from Edwina Scissor-hands before the loud bangs made her a nervous wreck  
  
"Because I want to die." Kagome sighed with a frown as she dumped the scissors and began wheeling he way out of Sango's ward. Sango just followed her.  
  
"So you're suicidal now?" Sango frowned. "Do you realise how pathetic that sounds? Don't you ever remember hearing about people who wanted to die and remember wanting to shout at them to stop being moany pathetic morons and to go out and get a date?"  
  
"It's not being suicidal. It's called accepting." Kagome scowled as her wheels squeaked. "I went through all the stages like Inuyasha said. Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. I accept I'm going to die - there's no way I can go back now... I'm tired... And will someone get me some friggin' oil for this bloody wheel?!"  
  
Sango rolled her eyes and grabbed the handles behind Kagome to steer the chair.  
  
"Let go!" Kagome cried angrily.  
  
"No - I'm taking you to see someone."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Miroku glared at Inuyasha across the table in the cafeteria. He was glad the idiot couldn't find the heart to eat, he deserved to suffer. "I can't believe you went and said that after all I said to you."  
  
"I don't want her to get attached to me." Inuyasha growled.  
  
"I don't want her to get attached to a moron like you either." Miroku snapped back. "But if she's going to die then at least make it happy for her."  
  
"What about me?" Inuyasha bit back. "This way her pain only lasts for a while because she'll die soon. But if I get attached to her then my pain lasts a life time."  
  
Miroku narrowed his eyes. "You coward."  
  
"Stop saying that!" He hissed. "Sango said that too."  
  
"I know. I'm just reminding you." Miroku folded his arms. "You're worried that if you get attached to her then you'll be heart broken when she dies? Are you saying that you'll fall in love with her... because that's not good."  
  
Inuyasha tapped his spoon angrily against the table, clenching his jaw to keep from snapping at Miroku.  
  
"But... if you know that you'll fall in love... doesn't that mean that you are already IN love with her now?"  
  
"Dammit Miroku!" Inuyasha slammed his fist down. "You spend too much time around Sango, you know that?! All that perceptiveness is rubbing off on you - it's not natural for you to be this understanding!"  
  
"I can see where you're coming from..." Miroku nodded knowingly. "I can see how my understanding of your emotional state could cause you to feel irritated, annoyed and angry... but you know you can always talk to me. I'm listening..."  
  
"Don't bother..." Inuyasha's eyes had glazed over somewhere at the beginning of all that crap. He stood up pointedly and went to go fetch a new coffee since he'd let his first one get cold before he'd had a chance to drink it.  
  
This was how much Kagome was affecting him.  
  
"Hey Dogtor!" an angry voice yelled.  
  
Ah... this would make the day all worth while. Inuyasha turned with a sly grin. "Yes?"  
  
"What the heck is this supposed to be?" The delivery man wheeled himself over in his wheelchair and pointed to his cast.  
  
"That would be a leg cast." Inuyasha said simply. "Us doctor's invented it to holding your leg together so the end won't break off... do you want me to take it off and leave it off? Cause I'm warning you... you're leg might drop off."  
  
"I know what it is - WHY is it pink?!" the man was clearly outraged.  
  
"That's not pink." Inuyasha peered at it. "That's puce..."  
  
"It's florescent, radioactive, Christmas tree light glowing PINK!"  
  
"It could be..." Inuyasha shrugged. "How should I know? Aren't we dogs supposed to be colour blind?"  
  
"You'll get what's coming to you...!" The delivery shot him a dangerous glare, before looking thoughtful. "Unless it's been mailed!"  
  
"Great, then I'll just get someone else to deliver the stuff." Inuyasha smirked. "There's someone else replacing you right now. I actually like her better... all that blond hair and firm body... pity that the jump-suit hides it."  
  
The delivery man wheeled himself off again, grumbling under his breath.  
  
"Smooth operator!" Miroku yelled. "That's fifty Yen - I'll take it half price because he had that coming."  
  
Inuyasha frowned again as he put his mug under the coffee nozzle and pressed the button. The machine was as fast as a beached whale... and he stood there irritably waiting for it to get going.  
  
"Checking out the coffee?" Kouga arrived at his side. "How do you hold it all in? You must drink a gallon of that stuff every hour."  
  
The one person Inuyasha just didn't want to deal with had just turned up. He had to work especially hard to keep a hold of his temper, he wouldn't break this guy's nose... it wouldn't be fair on Kagome to have a duff doctor.  
  
"You know, you barely got Kagome to me in time." Kouga smirked before going serious. "I found a treatment for her... pity you've brainwashed her into thinking death is the only cure."  
  
"What treatment would that be?" Inuyasha asked, trying not to sound too interested.  
  
"A complete blood transfusion."  
  
Inuyasha scoffed suddenly. "You think that would work? Have you even looked at her lab results. The virus isn't just in her blood stream, it's invaded the cells of her organs and muscles - that's why she can't walk. Moron. That's obvious. Sure you'd get rid of the virus in her blood but there will still be virus in her tissues. They'd multiply all over again and you'd be back to square one."  
  
Kouga glared at him, seeing his mistake at once.  
  
"And that would only be if she even survived the transfusion which I would seriously doubt." Inuyasha cast him a disgusted look. "She'd live longer without your meddling."  
  
"Well at least I have the face to deal with a dying patient. You take one look at her and go running to hide behind your mother."  
  
Inuyasha's hand dropped the saucer he was holding with a crack. "You did NOT talk about my mother."  
  
At a table close by, Kikyo and Aki looked up worriedly at the two doctors. Miroku wasn't worried. He was happy to sit back and let them fight it out.  
  
"I did." Kouga smirked. "And I don't believe you're fit to be a doctor here. The only reason you passed was because of Doctor Hatsuyo. If some other old fart had taught you, you would have failed miserably. I bet he took all the exams for you. He was biased."  
  
Inuyasha cocked his head slightly... before reaching beside him for a lemon meringue pie... and slammed it into Kouga's face. A hush went around the cafeteria... spoiled only by Mr Takeo who looked around blindly. "What? What happened? Why's it gone so quiet?"  
  
Kouga calmly wiped the pie off his face to see Inuyasha looking equally as calm. They stood like that for a moment before Kouga swung his fist hard, ramming it against Inuyasha's jaw, making his head snap back. And the fight was on.  
  
"Kouga! Stop it! Inuyasha!" Kikyo ran forward as the two young men toppled to the ground, Inuyasha on top and repeatedly punching Kouga in the face. "Inuyasha!"  
  
She wasn't strong enough, even with Aki, to pull them off one another and so looked imploringly to Miroku who was sat slumped in his chair, obviously having no intention of interfering. He could see that Kouga also had had Inuyasha's wrath coming.  
  
"Miroku!" Kikyo hissed. "Do something!"  
  
"Oh..." Miroku cleared his throat before calling in a vague tone. "Inuyasha...?"  
  
The call failed to bring Inuyasha or Kouga to a halt and Miroku shrugged at Kikyo who glared at him. "Thanks for nothing!"  
  
Aki had a better idea. She forcibly pushed Inuyasha half off Kouga so she was sort of between them. "Carry on fighting and then I'll get hurt and then I'll sue."  
  
She'd said the S magic word, and at once the two doctors halted their struggles and glared at each other. Inuyasha gave one last retaliation of thumping Kouga's head against the floor and started to stand, but not before Kouga struck his shin with his foot, bringing the scuffle back into play.  
  
"The lawyers office is just down the hall!" Kikyo snapped. "I'll go now shall I?"  
  
"No!" they both yelled and threw themselves apart hastily, gasping for air. By now Kouga had a black eye and a split lip. Inuyasha had a bruised jaw and a few cuts on his fists.  
  
"Christ..." Kikyo tugged them both to their feet with a stern glare. "Kouga - go back down to your level - Inuyasha - you're next patient arrives for him prostate exam in five minutes, get going!"  
  
"You can't boss us around!" Kouga snapped.  
  
"Actually... she can..." Inuyasha tentatively touched his jaw, wincing at the pain. "She's the Sister..."  
  
"Move it Doctor!" Kikyo snapped at Kouga before turning to Inuyasha. "I'll go with you down to reception."  
  
"Why? Afraid I might run off?" Inuyasha challenged.  
  
"You did last time a patient came in to have his prostate examined."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Was that supposed to cheer me up?" Kagome asked Sango as they left the ward.  
  
"Well..." Sango sighed and caved in. "Yes..."  
  
"Well it didn't work."  
  
"Of course it didn't - he wasn't there." Sango folded her arms angrily. "He was supposed to show you that there is a point to taking risks like blood transfusion."  
  
"Oh yeah..." Kagome clapped. "The fact that he passed away this morning really encouraged me."  
  
"Well at least the nurse gave you some oil for your wheels."  
  
"I suppose that makes my life all worth while..."  
  
"Stop with the sarcasm, Kagome." Sango said wearily.  
  
"Sorry... It's just..." Kagome glared angrily at the floor. "It's just that... oh, never mind..."  
  
"No, tell me."  
  
"I thought I knew Inuyasha..." Kagome sighed and let Sango guide her wheelchair. "But then he turned around and said all those things... I can't believe he did that to me."  
  
"He was scared." Sango said softly. "Believe me... he didn't mean them."  
  
"You weren't there, you wouldn't know that." Kagome said angrily. "He was so blunt and... and now I'm stuck with Kouga... and I'm going to die miserably... and just knowing that I'm going to die miserable makes me even more miserable..."  
  
"You still want to die?"  
  
"I never want to die..." Kagome rubbed her eyes, fighting off the tears before they sprang up. "I just thought if I had to die... at least I'd have someone like Inuyasha guiding me through it... but he's not anymore..."  
  
"I'm sorry..." Sango patted her shoulder.  
  
"It's not your fault." Kagome said quickly. "I have to go, Kouga's supposed to drop by room and give me my medicine."  
  
She quickly jerked her chair forward out of Sango's grip and went her own way. Sango watched her for a moment before sighing and turning back around to go to the cafeteria and find Miroku.  
  
Kagome was so deep in her thoughts that she almost missed Inuyasha. Almost. She stopped quickly and moved back a bit to look down the corridor she had just passed. She felt a pang of jealousy to see him walking away from her with one of the chief nurses. She kept touching his face for some reason... well at least he kept pulling back when she did that.  
  
It was called spying, but Kagome watched a little longer to see where they were going. Suddenly Kikyo stopped Inuyasha mid-walk and reached up to kiss him.  
  
Kagome's heart stopped with a gasp as she watched. Inuyasha didn't pull away... or do much to stop or encourage her. It was over quickly and Kikyo hurried off ahead.  
  
She couldn't take it any more and pushed herself away and out of sight... but her heart was having trouble starting again... literally...  
  
A horrible searing pain spread through her chest on the left side and she could feel her heart beating painfully hard and loud, irregularly. She clasped a hand to her chest, squeezing her fingers against her ribs as she gasped for air that seemed to be escaping her.  
  
Was she having a heart attack...?  
  
Suddenly the wheelchair was too constricting, she couldn't move, she couldn't breathe... she had to get out of it. She threw herself up, staggered a few steps before her legs folded and she dropped to the ground. Her heart was still racing so fast she thought it would burst...  
  
Kagome desperately scrambled for something to help her, something to cling to... anything. But she was alone in the middle of a deserted corridor. Inuyasha was just around the corner... or was he? Maybe he had gone now...  
  
She looked up and around, vaguely thinking of the picture hanging on the opposite wall. She'd passed it so many times.  
  
Blackness seemed to swamp her entire body and the pain dulled at once as the darkness reached her head... and she gave into it without any fight. She was tired... she wanted to rest.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kouga came around the corner with a cold lettuce leaf pressed against his eye. The moment he spotted Kagome he cursed, loudly.  
  
"Shit..." he ran to her side and took in her pale complexion before checking her pulse...  
  
He cursed again and slapped his beeper to summon any available nurses and paramedics. Maybe there was a chance he could still revive her.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Sorry... I'll get my raincoat to prepare for all the flames... 


	14. Realisation

AN: Here's a (not so) interesting factoid: Did you know that Richard Cox (the guy who play's English Inuyasha voice) is from the UK? (woo - patriotic pride!) - or more specifically - he's from Wales.  
  
I'm guessing he has an American accent now... (I haven't heard him yet) but now I keep having weird imaginings of Inuyasha with a Welsh accent...  
  
Oh dear...  
  
Don't ask how I found that out...  
  
Anyway, back on with the fic - I got a flood of demands and threats and my flame proof raincoat is now crispy burnt... so I decided I better get on writing the next part.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Realisation  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you nervous?" Inuyasha asked, snapping on his rubber gloves.  
  
"Um..." the man shifted nervously from where he was sat on the table. "I am now that you keep snapping those gloves."  
  
Inuyasha flashed a brief smile. "Good. Now we just have to wait for Aki to show up for once and then we can... examine your prostate-"  
  
He was cut off as the door opened and Aki came in, still finishing off her drink. "Sorry I'm late - I was just-"  
  
"Eating. Got it. Now let's get this over and done with." Inuyasha suppressed a shudder. This had been reason number one why he had protested about becoming a doctor.  
  
Just then Aki's pager went off and she looked down. "It's Kouga. One of his patients has collapsed... she needs paramedics to revive her. Should I go?"  
  
She looked up only to find the door swinging shut and Inuyasha was no where to be seen. She sighed. "Any excuse to run away..." She didn't hesitate to follow him though.  
  
The patient rapped his fingers against the table at being abandoned. "How rude."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
The nearest nurses were at the scene in no time, along with Kikyo.  
  
"What happened?" she asked when she found Kouga crouched over Kagome's rather pale form.  
  
"She's gone out, we need to revive her." He tossed his stethoscope to Kikyo. "Check if her heart starts beating - you two - go get a bed and a defibrillator."  
  
The two other nurses hurried off.  
  
"Start CPR." Kikyo said at once.  
  
"I know." Kouga snapped back irritably. He didn't like being told what to do by a simple nurse.  
  
He quickly tilted her head back and started pushing down on her chest. Kikyo held the stethoscope beside his hands and waited for the telltale beat, but none came. Just before Kouga could close his mouth over Kagome's to breathe air into her lungs, Inuyasha arrived, quickly followed by Aki.  
  
"What happened?" he demanded.  
  
"What does it look like?" Kouga snapped back. "She's hit the wall. Her times up."  
  
Inuyasha growled. "Idiot - she has two weeks left!" he pushed past Kouga and ignored the nervous look Kikyo sent him. "You just concentrate on her chest I'll do the breathing!"  
  
"She's my patient!" Kouga snapped.  
  
"Stop being so damn possessive and do something before it's too late!" Kikyo snapped at them both, promptly getting them to shut up.  
  
Inuyasha was the one who closed his mouth over Kagome's and blew. Kouga angrily continued beating her chest. Aki waited anxiously by, crouching down to hold Kagome's hand in case she woke up.  
  
"It's not working." Kouga said finally, stopping his work. "Time of death is-"  
  
"Shut up!" Inuyasha sounded clapped him over the head. "Keep going!"  
  
"She's dead, Inuyasha!"  
  
"Aki!" Inuyasha gestured for the girl to take over Kouga's job. She glanced nervously up at the dark haired doctor before moving to crouch beside Inuyasha and continuing to push down intermittently.  
  
It was a short while before Kikyo jumped. "She's got a pulse!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Well it had been nice while it had lasted. Finally all that pain and exhaustion had disappeared and she was just surrounded by nothing. She WAS nothing. There was no pain, no Inuyasha, no pleasure, no emotion. But it was peaceful and calm...  
  
She protested loudly and vocally when the pain slammed back through her entire body and she was brought crashing back down to earth. The first thing she was aware of, amazingly, was the presence of someone's mouth hovering close to hers. For some reason she just knew it was Inuyasha's... and so tore her head away and strained to just curl up and die again.  
  
"Kagome - stay with us." She heard a woman's voice calling. She knew it was Kikyo...  
  
"No..." She protested weakly as hands gripped her shoulders and sides to straighten her up. She refused to open her eyes... she didn't want to be here...  
  
Kouga barged Inuyasha out of the way and quickly helped Kagome to sit up as the bed arrived. "Don't wear yourself out Kagome, you've been through a lot... brave girl."  
  
His neck was just within reach... and he wasn't looking...  
  
Inuyasha had to fight to keep his hands from locking around Kouga's throat, just to hear the satisfied choking it would cause. But not while he held Kagome - he didn't want Kouga to drop her.  
  
Inuyasha could only watch helplessly as the nurses and Kouga helped lift Kagome onto the bed and began to wheel her away. Kouga looked back at Inuyasha with a smirk and a salute. "Thanks doggy, you can get back to work now. We don't need you anymore."  
  
Inuyasha's fists clenched unconsciously by his sides, until he felt Aki tugging on his sleeve. "Doctor? Your patient is still waiting for his prostate examination."  
  
Inuyasha stiffened. "Actually... Aki... I feel a little faint, dear... I'm just going to go lie down somewhere..."  
  
He pretended to totter off until he'd rounded the corner, before bolting towards the cafeteria. He'd just realised something very important.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Sango asked over the cats cradle she was making with Miroku.  
  
"I don't know..." Miroku shrugged. He'd also gotten paged by Kouga, but since he wouldn't have been much use he hadn't gone. "I guess we'll know how she is when Inuyasha shows up."  
  
"No - don't take that one - take that string next to it..."  
  
"Sorry..." Miroku corrected his hold.  
  
"Anyway..." Sango continued. "You know Inuyasha well. What'll he do if she's ok?"  
  
"Sulk..." he shrugged.  
  
"And if she's dead?"  
  
"Sulk even more?" Miroku looked lost. "It's hard to tell with that guy... he pretty much has a limit to three emotions. Anger, irritation and laughing at horrible things."  
  
"That's what I thought..." Sango concentrated on the cats cradle.  
  
"Hey - you never know. He might come in here crying his eyes out in a few minutes." Miroku shrugged again.  
  
"Yeah right. That'll be the day he asks for my professional help." Sango sighed. "I really hope she's ok..."  
  
Suddenly a voice broke through their conversation. "Sango! I need your professional help!"  
  
"Who on earth...?" It sounded like Inuyasha, but that couldn't be right. Sango looked up and saw him running towards them. He finally reached the table, shoved Miroku out of his seat opposite Sango and sat down in his place.  
  
"I need help!" he slapped the table to emphasise his point.  
  
"Congratulations, Inuyasha." Miroku rubbed his offended shoulder as he moved to sit down beside Sango instead. "The first step is admitting that you need help."  
  
"I thought you didn't need a psychiatrist?" Sango dropped her string onto the table and frowned hard at him.  
  
"Not a psychiatrist - I need a woman."  
  
"Get your own." Miroku threw a possessive arm around Sango's shoulder who carried on staring at Inuyasha with worry.  
  
"At least your admitting she's yours now." Inuyasha glanced at him. "The first step towards commitment, I hear."  
  
Miroku's arm inched off Sango's shoulder before anyone else noticed.  
  
Sango ignored the macho jabbing contest. "What's the problem then?"  
  
"Kagome just died and-"  
  
"I'm so sorry..." Sango raised a hand to her mouth in shock.  
  
"Wait - let me finish. She died, but then she woke up, and I just realised something." Inuyasha looked incredibly twitchy and nervous right then.  
  
"What?" Sango pressed.  
  
"I'm a total jerk-faced bastard."  
  
Miroku grinned. "Congrats - admitting it is the first-"  
  
"That joke only works once in the same conversation, Miroku." Sango told him pointedly before turning back to Inuyasha. "Well at least you're not deluding yourself anymore."  
  
"She probably hates me - and with every reason, I don't mind that." Inuyasha frowned down at the table. "But I've just realised she IS going to die soon..."  
  
"Don't say that." Sango frowned. "Kouga might still find a cure."  
  
"No... he won't." Inuyasha shook his head. "I've been continuing my research and I've kinda come to a dead end. I've analysed the virus, the poison that was in the bee's sting, the Xycrophobin and there is NOTHING that can counter the effects of the virus."  
  
"Wow..." Miroku winced. "So... so she IS going to die?"  
  
"You've been continuing work on her?" Sango looked amazed. "That's pretty damn... nice... of you Inuyasha."  
  
"Thank you, but that isn't the point. She's going to die unhappily and I can't stand seeing her like this." He took one of the sugar packets from the bowl and began fiddling with it. "And it's all because of me that she's unhappy... I don't know what to do."  
  
Sango snorted. "Isn't it obvious?"  
  
Inuyasha looked at her. "Sango, I'm a guy, you have to spell things out for us."  
  
"Just go TELL her how you feel!" Sango gasped with anguish. "Damn - you may be a genius but when it comes to people you are as thick as pig's-"  
  
"Sango - language, darling."  
  
Sango calmed down a little. "Sorry... but it took you this long to realise how moronic you were being?"  
  
Inuyasha frowned at her. "Well when Kikyo kissed me I kinda realised that-"  
  
"You did what?!" Sango and Miroku both barked at the same time, making Inuyasha scoot back in his seat a bit.  
  
"Why?" Sango demanded.  
  
"How stupid can you be?!" Miroku growled.  
  
"What if Kagome saw - what if she finds out?!"  
  
"She'll be heart broken!"  
  
"She'll hate you forever!"  
  
"How could you kiss Kikyo!"  
  
"Man - that image is worse than the image of Aki going with Doctor Hatsuyo... ew..."  
  
"What were you thinking?!"  
  
Inuyasha stepped back a bit. "Alright! Chill! It was a mistake! But she kinda just leapt at me and I was so shocked that I couldn't move. I mean... what would you do if Kikyo kissed you Miroku?"  
  
Miroku opened his mouth to speak before glancing sideways at Sango who was staring at him intently. "I... refrain from answering that question in fear of having my shins dented by Sango's shoes."  
  
The table jumped and Miroku gasped in pain as Sango had decided to kick him anyway.  
  
"I suggest you go now." Sango said, ignoring Miroku's movements. "Go explain to her before it's too late."  
  
"But I can't see her. She's not my patient - and if the board finds out I'll be sacked." Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"Well only if they find out." Miroku pointed out. "I'd be sacked if anyone found out about me and Sango - do I care?"  
  
"Live on the edge, Inuyasha." Sango told him. "Go now or I dent your shins too."  
  
Seeing the obvious agony Miroku was in, Inuyasha decided listening to Sango was probably the wisest decision. He hesitated for only a moment before standing up and running out of the cafeteria.  
  
It took him quite a while to actually find Kagome. She'd been moved out of her old room and into an Intensive Care ward. She'd got a whole new room to herself, even larger than the last one and lots of emergency equipment around the bed. Kagome was asleep... and as he quietly made his way toward the bed he realised how small she looked... and so fragile.  
  
The nurse would probably be around in a while to check up on her... so he didn't have a lot of time. But he couldn't bring himself to wake her... she looked wasted.  
  
With a small sigh he dropped down into the chair beside her bed and leant his elbows on the edge. If she'd been awake he was sure she would have recoiled away from him. He wouldn't have blamed her. Maybe it was better for her to be asleep. He wanted to talk to her... tell her why he'd done what he'd done... but undoubtedly she'd interrupt him and probably make him feel even worse.  
  
So he started his conversation with her, without her... Right.  
  
"I'm sorry..." he said suddenly. Those two little words weren't going to make it all better, he knew that. But it was a good a way to start as any. He didn't really know what he was sorry for specifically... basically he was sorry for everything. "Sorry I couldn't find a cure... sorry I said all those things... sorry I kissed Kikyo - but in all fairness SHE kissed me. I was used. I feel so violated..."  
  
Playing for the sympathy vote on a sleeping girl wasn't about to work. He shook his head and wondered how he was supposed to set it all straight when she woke up. He gazed at her limp hand for a moment, before reaching out and clasping it in his own, feeling how cold it was.  
  
"I've been thinking about what I said... and now I realise how really... really selfish I had been." He sighed, rested his chin on his upturned palm and idly watching her serenely calm face. "You were right when you said I was scared of getting attached. I gave you away because I was scared for myself... if you died and I loved you then I would... be miserable for a long time I guess..."  
  
He frowned deeply for a moment before closing his eyes and letting his head drop down to rest on his forearm that rested on the bed beside their joined hands. When he spoke it was partially muffled by the bed.  
  
"I didn't think whether you would be unhappy now... I was stupid... I hope you'll forgive me." Inuyasha squeezed her hand. "Seeing you like this... I hate myself for it. It's because of me that you're... I'd do anything to make you happy again... I'd love... I'd love you if it meant making you happy... even if it meant it'll kill me afterwards..."  
  
Would she believe him when he told her all this? Would she accept his apology.  
  
"Kagome... even if you turn me down I'll still love you. It'll still hurt me when you go... So don't go all noble on me later and turn me down in case I get hurt when you die. I don't care about that... it's too late now, I love you..."  
  
How would she react to that?  
  
"Trust me to fall in love with a dying woman... I finally meet the girl I want to... and she's dying... And the hilarious thing is I knew it all along and I still couldn't stop myself from loving you." He smiled despite himself. "I've seen what you're like... I know you. You can be a bitch... you can be angry and destructive... even more destructive than me... but you don't hide that. You're sweet and caring and pleasant to be with... until someone pisses you off. I can't save you but I want to make you happy while I can..."  
  
Suddenly her hand squeezed his back and he sat bolt upright to see she was blinking slightly at the ceiling.  
  
"You're awake...?" he whispered.  
  
"I was awake... the whole time..." She said flatly.  
  
"So you-"  
  
"Shh..." She closed her eyes and turned over in her bed to face him, curling up slightly and pulled his hand to rest just under her chin. "I'm tired... stay with me..."  
  
She fell asleep, properly, this time, and Inuyasha watched her for a moment before sighing. He laid his head down on the bed, and closed his eyes. He hadn't slept in quite a few days actually... so it wasn't hard for him to drop off.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile poor Mr Prostate Patient is still waiting for his doctor...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
And elsewhere...  
  
Miroku arrived down in reception to find Kikyo doing her regular job, seemingly more cheerful than she'd been in a while. He suspected it had been because she'd kissed a certain doctor.  
  
He was just about to ask about that when he spotted a flash of purple on the counter. He snapped his gaze towards the source and grinned.  
  
Ah... Inuyasha had finally left his purple pen unattended and in the open. He would regret that later.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: No cliff hanger?!  
  
Well, it's not much of a cliff-hanger unless you're desperate to find out how the prostate patient will survive... or what Miroku will do with that pen...? 


	15. A Change Of Plan

AN: I've decided that you're all perverts. What could Miroku possibly do with that purple pen...? ............ Write with it maybe?  
  
Anyway, sorry about the delay - I have been so busy over the last few days (actually I've just been doing something else) I continually switch from writing to drawing and when I get bored of drawing I go back to writing - all the while singing at the top of my lungs with my earphones in ^_^ My family just love me right now - as do my neighbours who can hear me.  
  
Ooh - and to KoNeko-chan - I think I heard a similar story when I was in primary school. I can't really remember it well since I was only a baby really, but I do remember a story of a little girl in Japan who got leukaemia or some other incurable disease and her mother taught her how to make paper cranes. The little girl then made hundreds of them while her mother got her more paper in the hopes that her daughter would get stronger... but in the story I heard she eventually died (sniff) and now there's a park somewhere in her honour with ornamental origami cranes everywhere. It's a very bitter-sweet little tale, I cried when I heard it (well it WAS 10 years ago).  
  
Anyway, I'm done with my nostalgia - on with the fic! (Was it really that bad a cliff-hanger?)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
A Change of Plan  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"It's that time of year again..." Kikyo commented as she sipped her soda drink.  
  
"That means..." Aki surveyed the staff room. "One of you guys has to be the Christmas Santa for the children's ward."  
  
Ninety nine percent of all the doctors and surgeons in the room coughed and suddenly buried their noses in their work. Inuyasha was the only one that didn't bother holding any pretence and carried on watching the cartoons on the TV. "I'll do it."  
  
Aki blinked at him.  
  
"He's not doing it! He did it last year!" Kikyo said quickly. "Someone else has to do it!"  
  
Everyone discreetly turned away again while a slow smirk spread across Inuyasha's face.  
  
"Why can't Inuyasha do it again?" Aki asked. "He's obviously enthusiastic."  
  
Miroku gave a derisive snort of laughter. "Oh yeah... I remember last year. Whenever the kids touched his fake beard he threatened that they'd wake up Christmas day with reindeer heads in their beds."  
  
Inuyasha smiled placidly at the fond memory.  
  
"And don't forget all the letters to Santa that he got his hands on." Kikyo sighed. "He stamped them all with 'dream on kid' and sent them back."  
  
"All in the Christmas spirit, bah Humbug and all..." Inuyasha channel hopped with a yawn.  
  
Kikyo glared at him. "Shippo's dropping by later. I told his mother that he could spend the day with you again."  
  
"What?!" That brought Inuyasha out of his good mood. "What the hell did you tell her that for?!"  
  
"You're the only one besides Kagome that Shippo responds to!" She shot back. "She wants him talking again now that the father's out of the picture."  
  
"Well why didn't you tell the woman that he could go to Kagome!"  
  
"Because she's sick and dying! She can't look after a small child!"  
  
"Then why couldn't you do it?!"  
  
"Are you arguing with me?!" Kikyo pressed her fists against her hips. Inuyasha suddenly realised he was raising his voice at a nurse... and every member of the staff was watching.  
  
He just made an Italian gesture involving his thumb nail and his teeth and slumped back down to carry on watching TV with a scowl on his face. Kikyo narrowed her eyes and looked around the room, almost as if she was asking if anyone else wanted a piece of her. The doctors and surgeons all promptly looked away.  
  
"Come on Aki." Kikyo called as she pivoted and walked out. The younger nurse winced and followed slowly.  
  
Inuyasha pulled a face and did a whiny impression of Kikyo's order. "Come Minion!"  
  
Miroku looked up from his magazine (you know the magazine I'm on about) and moved from the surgeon side of the room to the doctor's side to flop down next to Inuyasha. "So... is it me or did it just get a little chilly in here?"  
  
"Talk to the janitor, the air conditioning unit is probably broken." Inuyasha said flatly as he watched the screen.  
  
"I guess things have been a little tense since that kiss huh."  
  
"Actually... it became tense the moment she walked in on me and Kagome in the ICU."  
  
"Ooh..." Miroku winced. "Let me guess... she walked in on some serious noggin."  
  
Inuyasha gave him a dirty look. " Is that your new word of the day?"  
  
"Am I right?"  
  
"We weren't doing anything dodgy, ya nitwit..." Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest. "I was just checking my eyelids for holes beside Kagome's bed... whilst holding her hand..."  
  
"Ah..." Miroku grinned. "She forgave you then?"  
  
Inuyasha grunted.  
  
"Why don't you look happy about that?"  
  
"Just shut up and go do some noggin with Sango." Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
"Been there, done that, and got the new word to prove it." Miroku took out his pen and jotted something down on the corner of his magazine, before tearing it off and handing it to Inuyasha. "Sango's number... in case you want any professional help later, yeah?"  
  
Inuyasha glared at him before noticing the colour of the ink. His eyes snapped to the pen Miroku was holding. "Is that my pen?"  
  
"Possibly." Miroku held it out of sight. "Must be going now, lots of patients to talk to, you know."  
  
Inuyasha watched him go with a look of bemusement before flopping back again and throwing away Sango's number. "Bastard... steal my pen will he..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Blink if you can hear me Kagome." Kouga told her gently whilst shining a penlight in her eyes.  
  
Kagome blinked in response.  
  
"Can you talk?"  
  
Kagome didn't say anything.  
  
"Can you squeeze my hand?" he took her small hand into his and waited. Kagome just closed her eyes and turned her head away.  
  
"It's ok, you can rest now." Kouga sighed deeply and placed his stethoscope around his shoulders. He left the room quietly, with another big ominous sigh.  
  
"Drama queen..." Kagome muttered before sitting up and wriggling her way across the bed. When she reached the edge she took a deep breath and slipped off the edge. Once on the floor she set about inching her way towards her wheelchair... a hard task when she couldn't use her legs at all.  
  
She heard the door open, but ignore whoever had just entered.  
  
"Nice caterpillar impression." Inuyasha commented, before she felt strong hands grip her waist to lift her into the chair.  
  
"Thanks, but I could have managed that by myself."  
  
"Give or take a few hours." He smiled and crouched before her to brush her messy hair out of her eyes. "How you feeling?"  
  
"Apparently I've reached the final phase of my life." Kagome rolled her eyes. "Full body paralysis and loss of speech along with loss of appetite and awareness of surroundings. And to top it all off I've been prescribed nothing but pure oxygen." She gestured to the tank beside the bed along with the gas mask. "What do they know...?"  
  
"You're faking again." He gave her a stern look before grinning. "Now who's the crap doctor?"  
  
"Exactly. I still plan to at least get Kouga fired before I go. You know... take him down with me..." Kagome smiled and patted his arm. "While you're here, would you mind wheeling me in the direction of the cafeteria - all this fasting for Kouga is making me starved."  
  
"Good for you." Inuyasha stood and took hold of the handles behind her.  
  
It was good that she was still capable of speaking, still capable of an appetite. It was good that she was still open and light-hearted about dying... She'd accepted her fate already and was making the most out of what time she had left. But even though her imminent death wasn't taking its toll on her... it was taking it's toll on Inuyasha.  
  
Kagome sighed when they entered the elevator and the doors slid shut as Inuyasha punched the top button for the top floor. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
"Just getting bored..." Kagome shrugged.  
  
"There's nothing much to do around here other than go to the cafeteria, go talk to Sango, or go talk to the old age pensioners." Kagome cocked her head to the side. "Well... the old people aren't so bad... they're pretty interesting..."  
  
She ignored his contemptuous smirk. "Hey, you'll be old one day. So you just keep your mouth shut." She scolded him. "There'll come a time when you talk none stop about the old days and how a hundred yen used to be worth a lot more now than it does in the future."  
  
Inuyasha would have smiled... except for the fleeting thought that Kagome would never grow old like he would... He'd give anything to grow old with Kagome... but it didn't look like fate was turning out that way.  
  
"But then again... I won't grow old." Kagome said quietly, almost speaking Inuyasha's thoughts aloud.  
  
"It ain't so bad." He said suddenly, going against his own worries as he crouched before her and rested his hands on her knees. "At least this way everyone will remember you as young beautiful Kagome. Even when your little brother is fifty, you'll always be young and beautiful to him... and me..."  
  
Kagome stared at him intently for a moment before breaking out into a small smile and reaching out to touch his cheek. "You always know just what to say."  
  
"I know how to please a girl." He grinned and leaned forward to deliver a brief kiss on the corner of her mouth. Kagome sneakily turned her head as he did that, so he kissed her full on the lips.  
  
The elevator doors opened with a ping and Inuyasha's mother's voice cut through the moment. "Oh hi, son!"  
  
"There's that pesky eyelash!" Inuyasha stood up quickly and pretended to flick away the imaginary eyelash that he'd brushed from Kagome's face, then he only just realised his mother stood there. "Oh hi, Fei!"  
  
Kagome gulped slightly. So this was the woman she'd greeted on the phone when she'd been round at Inuyasha's apartment.  
  
"Going up." Doctor Fei told Inuyasha who pressed the top button on the panel again. She smiled at the pair. "Nice to see you Kagome, how are you feeling today?"  
  
"Neglected... by Doctor Kouga." Kagome gave a dramatic sigh with a weak smile. "It's so fortunate Inuyasha was around to look after me. If he hadn't dropped by, who knows how long I would have been struggling on the floor to find my wheelchair."  
  
Only for about two minutes until the nurse came to check on her again, but Doctor Fei didn't need to know that.  
  
"Aw... that's so nice of you Inuyasha." His mother smiled at him as the doors opened again. "See you later."  
  
Inuyasha made the sign of the cross at her retreating back.  
  
"You gonna eat with me?" Kagome asked as he wheeled her out of the elevator towards the cafeteria doors.  
  
"Sure..." He glanced at his watch. "Though I have to go pick up Shippo in a bit."  
  
"How's he doing?" Kagome asked suddenly. "I haven't heard from him in a while."  
  
"Oh... you know... got beat up by his foster father, got a broken jaw and regressed back into muteness." Inuyasha nodded. "But other than that he's great."  
  
"Oh god..." Kagome bit her lip. "Is he ok?"  
  
"Better. Well, he will be once I drop him off with you." Inuyasha dumped her at a table before she had time to protest. Not that she would have protested anyway.  
  
When Inuyasha arrived back at the table with two coffees, he notice Kagome was doodling on a napkin. "What's that?"  
  
"My list." She answered.  
  
"Of what?"  
  
"Of people I'd like to have sex with before I die?" Kagome smiled mischievously.  
  
"Am I on it?"  
  
"Um... yeah..." she frowned. "But close to the bottom. I had to fit Superman, Elijah Woods and Orlando Bloom in the top three."  
  
"So this is what virgins do in their free time?" Inuyasha laughed.  
  
"Shh!" she looked around. "Not so loud!"  
  
"Now what are you doing?"  
  
"Circling the ones that I'll regret having sex with the morning after." She chortled.  
  
Inuyasha snagged her pen and circled the whole list.  
  
"What was that for?" she blinked at him.  
  
"Just circling the ones that would regret doing it with you too."  
  
"Oh fine..." she gave him a mock glare. "Very mature way to deal with your jealousy."  
  
He smirked and was about to say something else when he noticed her hand, clutching the pen in her fingers was trembling. He looked back up at her face to see if she was angry or upset, but she looked placid and normal. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." She blinked at him.  
  
Inuyasha looked down at her hand again, which was still quivering in rapid little spasms. "You're trembling..."  
  
Kagome looked down at her hand and suddenly clenched her fist around the pen to stop the shaking. She gave him a weak smile. "Sorry... it's been doing that lately..."  
  
She'd moved her other hand over to grasp her fist, but even so, the trembling was still rather noticeable. Inuyasha felt something tug inside his chest and he reached forward to grasp her hands in his. "Your nerves are going..."  
  
Kagome swallowed her false smile and nodded. "Well there's a conversation stopper..." she looked embarrassed. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."  
  
She wasn't fine... damaged nerves, paralysis... the symptoms were typical of a decaying body. Soon she'd lose her senses, her mind, and control over anything in her body... even breathing would be too difficult for her. And it wouldn't necessary go in any particular order.  
  
It wouldn't be long now...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey, Kikyo, have you seen Miroku around?" Sango asked idly as she leaned against the reception desk.  
  
"Try the staff room."  
  
Sango nodded... though she didn't move from her spot. After a few moments silence Kikyo looked up at her to see Sango inspecting her fingernails. "You want something?"  
  
"Hm? Oh - no!" Sango smiled leaned against the desk. "I just fancied some female company for once."  
  
Kikyo nodded stoically. "Ok... Why don't you go home, I'm sure you'd find better female company there."  
  
"Nah... Miroku wants me to stay in the hospital for observation." Sango shrugged. "Besides... my household is dominated by men, I feel safer here."  
  
Kikyo just hummed and went back to signing some more forms. Sango sighed ever so slightly... getting Kikyo to talk was like trying to make a boulder bleed. She just wasn't a very chatty girl.  
  
"So..." Sango tapped her fingers against the counter in slight impatience. "What's new in your love life?"  
  
Kikyo slammed down her pen and look angry. "He told you didn't he?"  
  
Sango contrived to be completely oblivious. "Who told me?"  
  
"Inuyasha! About the kiss!" Kikyo snorted. "I'm such a fool..."  
  
"No you're not..." Sango c0mforted her half-heartedly. "I'm sure it was just... in the heat of the moment sort of thing..."  
  
"Yeah... but I was also hoping it would solve everything." Kikyo sighed miserably.  
  
Sango's interest sparked. "Really? How...?"  
  
"I thought... I thought maybe if I turned Inuyasha's interest away from Kagome... then he'd hurt less when she died." Kikyo scowled. "I guess... I was also acting on some selfish desire to kiss him too... but I really was trying to help him out."  
  
"Too bad Inuyasha isn't into you anymore." Sango said evenly.  
  
Kikyo remained silent.  
  
"He was once... do you remember?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"But you were dating that Naraku guy... and you blew Inuyasha off." Sango winced. "No wonder he doesn't warm to you so much these days. You missed your chance girl."  
  
"I know... and I know what I did hurt Kagome more than it should have... I nearly killed her." Kikyo bit her lip. "That's not what I wanted."  
  
They lapsed into silence, while Sango waited for Kikyo to go on. "I don't know what to do... Inuyasha hates me... I don't want to ruin things like I have..."  
  
"Then my advice would be to just forget it happened." Sango said wisely. "Don't snap at anyone, well... don't snap anymore than you normally snap... what? Don't glare at me... Anyway, don't avoid Inuyasha, don't crawl all over him either, just... act normal. I'm sure if you act normal then things will go back to the way they were. And maybe over time you'll get over your crush on Inuyasha... just like he got over his."  
  
Kikyo nodded slightly. "I guess you're right..."  
  
"Good..." Sango looked around. "So where is Miroku again?"  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"And this is?"  
  
"A scalpel..."  
  
"And this is...?"  
  
"A syringe..."  
  
"And this...?"  
  
"Probably something dangerous as well... but I can't be bothered looking." Inuyasha said from where he was leaning back in his chair balancing two paper balls on his eyes.  
  
Shippo put down the defibrillator paddles and looked around. "I'm bored..." he said in a sing song voice.  
  
Inuyasha retorted in the same sing song tone. "Oh dear..."  
  
"Gimme something to do!" Shippo jumped up onto the work bench beside Inuyasha.  
  
The young doctor sighed as the balls rolled off his eyes onto the floor. "Fine... name the seven dwarves."  
  
"Oh that's easy..." Shippo wrinkled his nose. "Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Bashful and... Pot head."  
  
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
"Well... they all seem to be named after drugs... and I couldn't remember the last one so I had to guess."  
  
"Makes sense..." Inuyasha sighed. "Alright... name the four stages of biological cell division, or mitosis."  
  
"Uh... prophase, metaphase, anaphase... and telyphase...?"  
  
"Wrong! That's telOphase." Inuyasha corrected him.  
  
"Jeez... what do I have to do to impress you?"  
  
"Name a hundred and one Dalmatians, smart-ass."  
  
"Ok... Patch... Nibbles... Spike..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"...Dipstick... and Podgy."  
  
Inuyasha stared at him, half asleep. "You're just making that up now..."  
  
"Not likely." Shippo snorted. "I've watched that film too many times."  
  
Aki suddenly arrived in the doorway of the lab. "Doctor Inu - I thought you should know - Kagome's collapsed - she's in a coma! We think she's been given sedatives!"  
  
Inuyasha was on his feet in a flash and running after her.  
  
"Hey! Wait! What am I supposed to do now?!" Shippo yelled after him.  
  
Inuyasha paused impatiently. "Just - stay here till you lick your elbow!"  
  
"My elbow?"  
  
"Just do it!" he snapped as he disappeared out of the door.  
  
Shippo sat on the floor and raised his arm and stuck out his tongue... only to discover the problem. "Ah..."  
  
  
  
  
  
(I bet you're all licking your elbows now ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
The steady beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the room. Inuyasha glared at each nurse individually, among them were Aki and Kikyo.  
  
"Well?" he snapped and pointed to Kagome in her bed, unconscious.  
  
The nurses glanced at one another, each looking evenly confused and innocent.  
  
"WHO gave her the sedatives?!" he barked, making the younger nurses jump with nerves.  
  
"Doctor Inu..." one of them said quietly. "None of us were here to administer the drug..."  
  
"Well then who did?!" Inuyasha snapped at her, making her fall silent. Kikyo was frowning at him, drumming her fingers against her arm. He was under no authority to terrorise the new recruits like this.  
  
The door opened and everyone glanced around to see Kouga enter. He took one look at his patient and then another at Inuyasha and the nurses. "What the fuck is going on in here?"  
  
"You!" Inuyasha lunged at him and threw him against the door, making it jump. Several nurses gasped and quickly scrambled forward to grab Inuyasha's arms to keep him from attacking the other doctor.  
  
"What the hell are you doing in here?" Kouga recovered quickly, walking over to Kagome's bed. "What did you do to her?"  
  
"Nothing! YOU were the one who gave her sedatives!" Inuyasha hissed, tugging himself free of the girls' grips.  
  
"Sedatives?" Kouga scoffed at him. "What am I, stupid? She's allergic to the sedatives - I KNOW the virus reacts violently against the sedatives! I wouldn't give her sedatives in a million years!"  
  
"Then who did?"  
  
Kouga went to the end of the bed and looked at the chart. "It's on here... not to administer sedatives or morphine... why would a nurse not notice that?"  
  
"WE didn't do anything!" Kikyo burst out. "We weren't even here! None of us is authorised to give sedatives without your permission, Doctor Kouga! Don't peg this on us!"  
  
Inuyasha's hand swept out and knocked a vase of flowers over to smash on the floor, quickly gaining everyone's attention. "I don't know who gave her the drugs... but I do know, as her Doctor Kouga, you are responsible for this."  
  
Kouga's lip curled. "This is in no way my fault!"  
  
"Yes it is! She's your patient - you take responsibility! Wait until the board hear about this!" Inuyasha moved towards the door. "I'm taking her back."  
  
"You can't do that! You don't have the right to take her back!" Kouga stomped after him.  
  
Inuyasha stopped and turned abruptly so suddenly that Kouga screeched to a halt nose to nose. Inuyasha just narrowed his eyes. "Watch me... Kagome was safer with me... and it's going back that way."  
  
He left, slamming the door after him. Kouga fumed quietly.  
  
Kikyo came up quietly behind him, clapping slowly and sarcastically. "Well done genius... you could lose your job for this."  
  
"Shut the fuck up!" Kouga snapped at her.  
  
Kikyo's fists bunched at her waist. "What?!" she snapped.  
  
Kouga jumped at the tone in her voice. "Nothing..."  
  
"Good." Kikyo pushed past him. "Keep five minute check-ups on her... inform Doctor Inu of any changes in her condition."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Yay! He's back in the drivers seat again! 


	16. Cruel To Be Kind

AN: It's about bloody time!! I've been so taken up with Soul Exchange that I've completely ignored this fic. Anyway, here's the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy it ^_^ though some may want to strangle me at the end ~_~;;  
  
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, nagging me to continue - and as soon as I finished the last chapter of Soul Exchange I went straight onto this one ^_^ Hope this makes up for the long wait - an longer chapter than normal.  
  
(and one of the reviewers pointed out that it's been exactly 28 Days since my last update... weird)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
28 Days  
  
Cruel to be Kind  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was Monday again... which meant that, as usual, the hospital would be flooded with patients and work. It didn't help matters that it was also Christmas eve. Christmas eve was the most popular day of the year to attempt suicide - and six times out of ten, most people failed to even get as far as dying (mostly because suicide hurts and they give up halfway). The public hospitals got overcrowded and sent more patients the private hospitals. And what was even worse, they always sent the worst patients over, the ones who'd attempted suicide and were miserable buggers.  
  
The only other day that was just as busy as Christmas, would be New Year's eve, when people thinking ahead to another traumatic year would try to pop their clogs (these were generally the failed suicide attempts left over from Christmas).  
  
Inuyasha yawned as he pushed his way through the double doors at six in the morning, wearing his usual clothes and carrying his usual bag. For once he would have liked a day off for Christmas... but it wasn't like he had anywhere else to go. All his friends worked at the hospital too, and even if they didn't, then he'd probably come in to visit Kagome every half hour.  
  
He yawned again as he pushed his way through the busy waiting room and stopped beside the water administer. He would have preferred coffee, but he didn't have the time to go all the way to the cafeteria for the drink, since he was already running late as it was. He should have been in at five o'clock.  
  
He cast a glance towards the reception desk as he took a sip of his water, just as Miroku looked up and spotted him. He crooked his finger, beckoning Inuyasha over to help with the work and the amount of patients and family that were at the desk. Inuyasha just smirked and crooked his middle finger back. No way did he have to start work until he put on his white doctor coat.  
  
Until then he could just be the kid in the corner with the khaki kit. The minute he put on that coat he was Doctor Inu, everyone's supposed psychiatrist and the magnet for every bit of trouble within a ten metre radius. Well he was fed up that morning... or just fed up in general, so he decided to put work on hold for a little extra while.  
  
Inuyasha downed the last of his water and crunched the cup, throwing it into the bin close by and headed past the reception desk down one of the halls. Kikyo looked up as he passed by and scowled. "Where's he off to?"  
  
"To get ready?" Miroku hazarded a guess as another nurse shoved past him on the way to file some more.  
  
"Good. As long as he doesn't do his usual Monday routine today then we'll be fine." Kikyo was beginning to get a headache from all the work she was having to juggle.  
  
"He won't go home early today... It's Christmas eve for god's sakes." Miroku was all but teetering on his tiptoes as yet another nurse pushed past him. "What, am I invisible here?"  
  
"Since when was Christmas Eve ever going to stop him leaving." Kikyo grabbed his collar and shoved him away from the desk. "Too many cooks spoil the broth, Miroku - go back to surgery."  
  
"Oh, but then I'll have to actually work."  
  
Kikyo gave him a sharp look.  
  
"Ok... going..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
It didn't make sense. Her vitals were fairly normal, her heart beat was steady, as was her breathing. She didn't need to use the oxygen mask, she didn't need life support of any kind, and she didn't need the drip anymore.  
  
So why was she still comatose.  
  
Inuyasha scratched his head as he dumped his bag in the visitor chair beside her bed. He waved his hand before her face before checking the chart at the end of her bed again. After a moment he went back to her side and looked down at her.  
  
For a moment he played with a strand of her hair that lay beside her ear... before moving his hand up to pinch her nose.  
  
It only took a few seconds, before Kagome was coughing and spluttered as she woke up. He grinned down at her as she slapped his hand away. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty."  
  
"Urgh..." Kagome held her hands over her face, shielding her eyes from the lights. "What time is it..."  
  
"Ten past six in the morning..." he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "It's Christmas Eve."  
  
Kagome stopped rubbing her face and glanced at him through squinted eyes. "Are you sure?"  
  
Inuyasha looked at his watch again. "Yep, I'm sure it's Christmas now. The memo was hard to miss."  
  
"But..." Kagome looked at her hands as though they were going to turn transparent. "I should be dead by now."  
  
"Not right now..." Inuyasha said quietly. "But don't hold your breath."  
  
"So..." Kagome dropped her hands to her sides. "What happened?"  
  
"I thought you could tell me?" Inuyasha frowned. "Don't you remember who gave you the sedatives?"  
  
"What sedatives...?" Kagome frowned back. "I haven't had any sedatives. I think I've missed something here... How long was I unconscious?"  
  
"A few days."  
  
"Wow..." Kagome yawned. "And amazingly, I'm still knackered."  
  
"Are you sure you don't remember?" Inuyasha pressed.  
  
"Remember what?"  
  
"Oh never mind..." Inuyasha slumped in the visiting chair, letting his feet rest on the side of the bed. Kagome turned so she could face him on her side.  
  
"Why aren't you in Doctor's clothes today?"  
  
"My day off." He lied blatantly. "It's Christmas Eve after all."  
  
"Is it?" Kagome looked surprised.  
  
He frowned at her. "Yeah... I just told you a couple of seconds ago."  
  
"Did you...?" Kagome shrugged. "Mustn't have heard you."  
  
"Right..." Inuyasha's heart was slowly sinking. Her mind was going at last. How long did she have now? Really not that long... He let his feet drop from the bed as he moved to stand. "Look, I gotta go take care of some stuff. You'll be alright on your own for a while?"  
  
"Yeah." She nodded as she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. As he moved over to the door she called out again. "What time is it, by the way?"  
  
Inuyasha pretended to look at his watch and smiled back at her. "It's late, you should get some more sleep. I'm sorry I woke you."  
  
"You didn't wake me did you?"  
  
"Just get some sleep Kagome." He turned off the light and watched her settle down before walking out and shutting the door quietly behind him. Outside he leaned against the wall and frowned as he pressed a hand against his heart, as if that would make the pang of fear and pain he felt go away. It didn't work.  
  
A movement up the corridor made him straighten at once and he looked up to see his mother approaching with a clipboard under her arm. She smiled as she saw him. "Hey there. I heard you managed to get Kouga off Kagome's case."  
  
"Yeah..." he didn't bother trying to match her cheerful tone. For some reason he just didn't feel very happy today.  
  
"Oh cheer up." Doctor Fei patted his shoulder compassionately, sensing her son's miserable tone. "Don't let working on Christmas get you down. The patients will all filter out by the end of the day."  
  
"Thanks." Inuyasha replied tightly, though that hadn't been quite what he'd been worrying about.  
  
"Anyway - you're late! Hurry and get your stuff, it's still busy around here." She ordered him and watched as he rolled his eyes and pushed off the wall to walk away. "Oh - and by the way! The medical board want me to share Kagome with you."  
  
Inuyasha spun at once. "What?! Why?!"  
  
"Because they still remember the whole 'relationship' thing." Doctor Fei sighed. "Please tell me you put an end to that?"  
  
"Mm." Inuyasha shrugged and turned to walk away.  
  
"Mm? What does 'Mm' mean?!" she called after him. "Inuyasha, come back here right now!"  
  
He ignored her and carried on to find the staff changing rooms.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Please sir, if you'd just like to sit down we'll get round to serving you too." Kikyo said as she guided an elderly man in a trenchcoat to a free waiting room seat.  
  
"No - I've been waiting two hours to get treated and I've gotten no where!" he argued.  
  
"Because we're treating people in order of importance." Kikyo told him calmly.  
  
"I am important!"  
  
"Sir, you have a papercut on your wrist." Kikyo pointed out. "We're treating people with missing heads and eyes and things like that first."  
  
He stood up stubborn the moment she released his arm. "Treat me or I'll blow this place sky high with the bomb under my coat!"  
  
Never utter the word 'bomb' in a crowded place. That and 'anthrax'. The effect was instantaneous as people around them caught the B word and started to panic and back away - some women even screamed. Kikyo was less than impressed. "Really?"  
  
"Yes - if you don't serve me now I'll blow this place up!" he said again with an eager nod.  
  
Miroku and several other nurses at the desk were now looking on in worry. Kikyo was pushing the old geezer... not good unless she knew what she was doing.  
  
"Well let's see it then." Kikyo encouraged. "I've never seen a bomb before. Did you make it yourself?"  
  
"No, I bought it down quick save." He prepared top throw his coast open. "Now - quiver in fear!"  
  
He threw open the coat and a hushed silence spread around the room for a few moments before Miroku shouted over from the front desk. "You seem to have forgotten to bring your bomb today!"  
  
"What?" the old man looked down.  
  
"You seem to have forgotten your clothes too." Kikyo told him, neutrally keeping her gaze on his face.  
  
"Oh right - now I remember!" the old man dropped his coat to the ground completely while several patients around them cringed and looked away. "Blow up the mall AFTER I flash the hospitals!"  
  
He ran off down one of the corridors laughing like a maniac. Several sniggers burst out from the front desk around the nurses, while Miroku was having a hard time continuing work he was laughing so hard.  
  
Kikyo flipped her hair back over her shoulder in annoyance and walked back to the reception desk to pick up the phone. "Security please... yes, we have an elderly gentleman streaker running around the hospital... A description?...Well... he's old, shrivelled and naked. What more do you want?"  
  
She put that phone down and looked around at the quiet room. "It's over people, get back to work."  
  
The nurses complied at once while Miroku slowly got back to filing with a grin on his face. "Dear god let us all grow old as gracefully as him."  
  
Kikyo shook her head and went back to sorting through the mail. "Letter bomb... letter bomb... letter bomb... bills... letter bomb..." she threw all these in the waste paper basket at her feet. "Bills... bills... final warning but book return Miroku." She handed him his library letter.  
  
"Thanks." He took it and looked inside. "Damn... I forgot to return 'Gone with the Wind'..."  
  
"Bills... bills..." Kikyo sifted through them until she came to an interesting one. "To Doctor Inuyasha?"  
  
She opened it regardless of the fact it had 'private' stamped on the front in bold letters. She pulled out the letter and read it.  
  
"What's that?" Miroku asked absently.  
  
"Kagome's lab results..." Kikyo mused. "Taken after that shot of sedative..."  
  
"Yeah... I wonder who gave her that anyway. Crazy fool... I bet it was Kouga." Miroku griped.  
  
Kikyo darted a glance at him before looking down at the results. Ok... the shot had failed to do its job last time...  
  
She set the letter aside in Inuyasha's inbox for him to pick up later. She silently vowed to herself to make the sedatives work next time.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Inuyasha flashed a little pen light in Shippo's eyes before stepping back . "How'd ya feel?"  
  
"Better." Shippo kept swinging his legs over the edge of the table.  
  
"Yeah, well you heal fast." Inuyasha said dully. "I guess it's cause you're just a brat still."  
  
"What's the matter with your face?" Shippo suddenly asked.  
  
"Nothing!" He barked back defensively.  
  
"You're all droopy and miserable today!" Shippo shouted. "Stay like that any longer and you'll make everyone in the hospital sad! It's rubbing off on me already!"  
  
"You wouldn't understand. You're just a kid." Inuyasha turned away and started putting away some of the tools that had been left lying around the examination room by the previous doctors and nurses. He didn't have to do it... he just wanted to occupy his hands.  
  
"Try me." Shippo said cheerily. "I may be young but I understand a heck of a lot more than you."  
  
Inuyasha glared at him. "There's no way I'm telling you anything with that attitude."  
  
"Oh, please!" Shippo pleaded. "I won't tell anyone! It'll be a secret kept! I swear!"  
  
"Do you promise?"  
  
"I sweat on my foster father's grave.  
  
"But... he's not dead." Inuyasha frowned.  
  
Shippo grinned somewhat evilly. "Not yet. Anyway - I swear hand on my heart and needle in my eye."  
  
Inuyasha looked at him suspiciously before leaning over and beckoning him closer. "You really want to know what's upsetting me?"  
  
"Yes!" Shippo felt he'd put his wishes across in a straight forward way by now.  
  
"Well... it's because..." Inuyasha sighed dramatically. "Miroku stole my purple pen... and now he'd lost it... and I have no way of retrieving it."  
  
Shippo stared at him a moment before hopping off the table and heading out of the room. "If you want me I'll be in the children's ward."  
  
Inuyasha smirked triumphantly before heading out as well to go check on some other patients. He wasn't particularly looking where he was going and accidentally bumped into an old nude man. "Oh - sorry!" he quickly apologised.  
  
"You're quite forgiven." The old man chortled before hobbling off again.  
  
Inuyasha carried on his way before suddenly freezing and spinning around to stare after the old man. Suddenly and cringed and desperately tried to wipe his clothes down. "Ew! I touched him!"  
  
Aki arrived behind him, panting as she seemed to have been chasing the man for quite some time. "He sure... has a fast run... for that of an old man..." she gasped.  
  
"He sure has the ass of an old man..." Inuyasha shuddered before quickly turning away. "I gotta go."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
She was asleep again, just like last time.  
  
Kikyo flicked the lights onto a dim light so they wouldn't wake the girl. It wouldn't do for her to be wake up in the middle of all this. She moved over to the bed quietly and set down the bottle and sterilised syringe at the foot of the blankets and cautiously checked over her shoulder.  
  
No one was due to check up on her for another five minutes, so she had just enough time to get the job done.  
  
With quiet, practised ease she removed the syringe from sterile wrap and plunged the needle into the cork of the sedative bottle. She glanced up at Kagome uncertainly, just to make sure the girl was still asleep as she filled the syringe with the clear liquid.  
  
This time she was going to apply the maximum dose... maybe even a little over... she had to make sure she didn't slip up like last time.  
  
Before she administered the dose she bent over Kagome's arm to check the IV needle was still inserted correctly and that the drip was unplugged before she went on. she was just about to draw back when a weak hand grasped her wrist, making her jump.  
  
"Kikyo... what are you doing?" Kagome blinked sleepily at the older nurse.  
  
Kikyo smiled gently and pulled her fingers forcefully off her wrist. "Just go back to sleep, Kagome. It'll all be over soon, I swear."  
  
"That's what they all said." Kagome yawned but quickly lapsed back into sleep without much protest. Kikyo waited a few moments before checking her eyes to make sure she really was asleep this time.  
  
She moved the syringe and inserted it into the IV receiver and prepared to press the plunger down... she had to wait a few moments to gather her courage before doing so though.  
  
The door suddenly opened and Kikyo shot straight up as Doctor Fei entered with Inuyasha. They both stared at the nurse in surprise, until Fei's gaze fell on the needle in Kikyo's hand. "What are you doing?" she asked sharply.  
  
Inuyasha moved straight towards the bed and checked Kagome's pulse first before spotting the bottle beside her thigh. He picked it up and read the label.  
  
An intense beat of silence passed before Inuyasha snapped a glare on Kikyo. "It was you! You were the one administering the sedatives!"  
  
"What?" Doctor Fei moved over to take the bottle from her son. She read the contents for a confused moment before looking up at Kikyo. "Is that true?"  
  
"Um... you don't understand - she asked me to do this!" Kikyo stammered. "It's not what it looks like!"  
  
"This is heinous, Kikyo." Doctor Fei looked thunderously at her. "We do NOT commit euthanasia in this place. This is a DECENT hospital!"  
  
"Wait - you don't understand-"  
  
"Come with me." Fei grabbed her arm roughly, making her drop the needle on the ground as the older doctor dragged Kikyo out of the room. Kikyo gave up protest as she was tugged along.  
  
Just before she was pulled out the door she looked back at Inuyasha. "You'll see - I was trying to do the right thing!"  
  
Inuyasha couldn't believe Kikyo would have stooped this low... he was at a bit of a loss of words right then... shock had frozen his tongue from any cutting remarks as she left.  
  
Eventually he recovered slightly and crouched to pick up the syringe on the floor. He glanced at the dosage and cursed... it was an overdose of course...  
  
He straightened and carefully placed the syringe in a locked draw to the side of the bed. He took the key with him and put it in his pocket, not wanting anyone to get into the draw - especially not a kid like Souta when he visited.  
  
"Kagome?" he gently stirred her shoulder.  
  
The girl frowned in her sleep before recognising his voice and slowly opening her eyes. She smiled when she saw him. "Hi..."  
  
He smiled back weakly. "How're you feeling?"  
  
"Like I can jump tall buildings." She told him, her voice slightly hoarse.  
  
"I'm being serious. How do you feel?" he asked without humour.  
  
She sighed and rolled her head to the side. "Not good... I keep... getting pains... shooting up my back. My hands won't stop shaking... I'm kinda cold."  
  
"Want me to turn up the heating?"  
  
"Like that'll make much difference..." Kagome said gloomily. "Inuyasha... it really hurts..."  
  
"I know..." he sighed, not really knowing what else to do. He just gripped her quietly trembling hand and crouched so he could rest his arm on the bed and his chin on his forearm as she started off at the door.  
  
Kagome was quietly mulling over things in her head. "I'm... not going to last much longer... am I?"  
  
Inuyasha paused a long time before answering. "No." he said flatly, and honestly.  
  
"How much time?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I don't know... but in the past, patients with your symptoms don't last much longer than a few more hours... a day at least..."  
  
Kagome quelled her urge to sob aloud... she was too stubborn to let herself cry herself into a state the last few hours of her life. She was going to be strong...  
  
"I can call your family if you want." He told her suddenly. "They're planning on visiting today anyway."  
  
"No... I don't want them to see me like this..." Kagome gripped his hand tightly as her tremors increased. Inuyasha glanced back at her in response and frowned. She really didn't look well... her face was pale and gaunt and her eyes were bleak and darker than normal. Her hair was flat and lank around her head and her skin looked pasty.  
  
"You look beautiful." He offered.  
  
"Shut up, I know I don't." she dug her nails into his hand with a small laugh.  
  
"I've seen worse..." he shrugged.  
  
A long silence stretched out before Kagome turned to look at him. "Does... dying hurt...?"  
  
He looked up at her, seeing how serious she was about this. He sighed before he spoke. "Depends... if you die of heart attack it hurts... if you die in your sleep it doesn't hurt at all."  
  
"How about me? How will I die?" she watched him reproachfully.  
  
"Painfully." He said quietly, after a moment or two.  
  
"Oh..." Kagome whispered. "Well... isn't there any way to make it less painful?"  
  
"No..." he shook his head. "I guess... the least painful method would be to give you sedatives... they'd knock you out and then kill you... but we can't give you those."  
  
"Why not?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Because then we'd be killing you. We can't do that. It's against the law." He told her.  
  
"But... if I'm going to die anyway, what's the difference?" she pointed out.  
  
"A major one!" he released her hand suddenly. "It's called euthanasia - I'm not going to kill you just to ease your pain!"  
  
"So I'll die a few hours early - so what?!" Kagome argued. "I don't want my friends and family to see me writhing in pain and whatever just because you were too chicken to make it quick and painless!"  
  
"I'm not chicken!" he snapped. "They'd do tests! They'd know you were killed deliberately! And anyway - do you think it would be easy for me to kill you! I love you!"  
  
Kagome quieted at once. "I'm sorry... I wouldn't want to force something like that on you..."  
  
"Course you wouldn't..." Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"I'll bear the pain for you..." she told him wryly.  
  
"Gee thanks." He straightened as he stood. "Just get some more sleep, you look wiped out."  
  
"I always look like this." She retorted.  
  
"I know, but sleep anyway." He told her, touching her cheek gently.  
  
"Will I wake up again?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
She closed her eyes with a small smile. "I'll say my goodbyes when I wake then..."  
  
He watched her settle down for a few seconds before leaning down and kissing her on the cheek to whisper something in her ear. "I love you..."  
  
"Ditto..." she whispered back with a tiny smile before easily falling asleep. She was so exhausted it didn't take much to keep her from sleeping that quickly.  
  
He stayed by her side a little longer before heading outside, intending to go down to reception and pick up his patient schedule for the rest of the day. But as before, he only managed to walk a couple of metres before he sagged against the wall, this time unable to stop himself from slipping down the support until he was crouched on the floor.  
  
This was pathetic... a doctor who got all broken up when a patient died on him? It was unprofessional and unheard of... well... actually it wasn't that rare. But usually the doctors who broke down soon quit their jobs.  
  
If he wasn't careful, soon tourists would be coming around to have their picture taken with the wimpy doctor.  
  
He drew in a shaky breath and ran his hands over his face to press the heel of his hands against his eyes. "I can't do this..."  
  
He couldn't be a doctor... if this was how he coped then there wasn't a snowball's chance in hell of him succeeding. He had the brain, the knowledge and the physical skill to be both doctor and surgeon if he wanted to... but he didn't have the will to be either.  
  
He didn't have the bedside manner and he didn't even have the enthusiasm all doctors needed to possess. Being a doctor had never been his idea anyway... it had been his mothers... and with the families large income she'd managed to pay for private tuition sessions, specially for Inuyasha to become a doctor like herself. That's why he'd graduated early, that's why he'd found such a gold mine job in such a fancy hospital so quickly...  
  
But he just couldn't take it anymore.  
  
The old streaker toddled past and saluted the hunched over doctor. "Cheer up, Doc, it ain't the end of the world."  
  
Inuyasha didn't even bother to lift his face out of his hands. "Now there's an optimistic view..."  
  
"Hey!" Security guards rounded the corner and spotted the old man and quickly gave chase.  
  
The motley crew soon passed Inuyasha, completely ignoring the broken doctor on the floor. Inuyasha couldn't care less anyway...  
  
It took him a while to find his feet again, and even then the pain was still fresh inside. He took it out of the wall beside him... punching a nice big whole in the plaster, narrowly missing an electricity cable. The pain of cracking his knuckles smack against the bricks behind the plaster was enough to distract him from the pain inside for a while... and he pulled his fist back with a hiss of pain and grimaced at the blood that now mottled his hand.  
  
"Well that was smart." A voice said from close behind him. He turned sharply to see Sango standing there gazing at him with her arms folded. She'd obviously just seen his little emotional outburst... and at once he got hostile.  
  
"What?!" he snapped.  
  
Sango's expression softened a little. "I'm sorry... it hurts doesn't it..."  
  
"What would you know?" he snapped, turning to try and walk away.  
  
"I meant Kagome - she's hurting - she's suffering." Sango said quickly. "I wasn't talking about you."  
  
"Oh..." Inuyasha stopped walking, annoyed that he'd just jumped to the wrong conclusion. He'd just given himself away.  
  
"You're upset about it aren't you?" Sango sighed. "I'm sorry for that too."  
  
"Don't be. You're not the one who's killing her..." he grumbled, leaning against the wall for support in case his legs failed the task.  
  
Sango looked up and down the corridor, seeing no one coming for a while. Everyone was down in reception or the EU, no one but Inuyasha and herself would be skulking around these back halls. She looked back at Inuyasha. "Isn't there anything you can do... to save her I mean?"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head vehemently. "No. In a few hours she's going to die. Two hours before she dies she'll seize up as her internal organs begin to shut down one by one until her lungs collapse. Do you know how painful that will be?!" he raged again, slamming his unhurt fist against the wall in anger. "They'll put her on a life support machine to keep her breathing and try and feed her fluids - just to prolong her pain! And then her heart will eventually give out - and then they'll try and revive her. Perhaps they'll succeed one or two times, but it won't last. She'll die and there's nothing I can do to help her... I can't even give her pain killers..."  
  
Sango hugged herself a little tighter. "Can't they just... let her go in peace?"  
  
"No... it's against the regulations. We have to do everything we can to keep her alive - even if she's in agony." He growled. "And once she starts to seize up there's no going back... no way to save her by some fluke... some miracle cure..."  
  
Sango was silent, unable to find comforting words to say to him. If anything... she needed some comfort herself. Kagome was her friend too...  
  
"I can't do this Sango." Inuyasha suddenly said, repeating an earlier statement.  
  
"Can't do what?" she asked automatically.  
  
"I can't be a doctor." He clenched his fists. "I'm gonna quit. The minute Kagome's gone and I have no one to take care of I'll quit..."  
  
"But..." Sango stared at him in bewilderment. "You can't do that! What about all your other patients! Your mother! You're a GOOD doctor Inuyasha you can't just quit because of this! This kind of thing happens all the time!"  
  
"I can't take this kind of thing though! That's what makes me a bad doctor! I suck at medicine!"  
  
"I suppose you could see it that way..." Sango sighed. "But are you sure? It's a bit of a risk to drop your career like this..."  
  
"I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life." Inuyasha straightened with a determined expression. "I need to see my other patients - and YOU need to go home! You've been here for the best part of a month! What's wrong with you?"  
  
Sango shrugged. "I want to stay here for Miroku... I'm acting as temporary, non-official hospital councillor right now."  
  
"No kidding..."  
  
"But there's a tiny problem..." Sango winced. "Security keep trying to kick me out."  
  
Inuyasha thought for a moment before shrugging out of his coat and tossing it to her. "There, if you look like a doctor they won't kick you out now will they?"  
  
"But... don't you need it?" she held it out to him.  
  
"Not after today." He shrugged and walked off, looking no more like a doctor than the delivery man.  
  
"Hey, Inuyasha - can I see Kagome?" she called after him.  
  
"No. She's sleeping. Leave her be." He tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared around another corner.  
  
Surprisingly, arriving at reception was a lot easier when he didn't wear his coat. Patients didn't jump on him, begging him or demanding he see them first. He slid right through the noisy crowds to the reception desk and behind it, looking for his inbox tray.  
  
"What happened to your coat?" Miroku shouted over the din.  
  
"Sango's got it!" Inuyasha shouted back.  
  
"What, she mugged you for it?!" Miroku grinned, obviously a bit out of the loop on Kagome's condition otherwise he wouldn't be so chirpy.  
  
"Somethin' like that..." Inuyasha muttered, too quiet in the noisy reception to be heard. But he was distracted by the letter he'd fished from his tray.  
  
He glanced over the content, before realising he was looking at a couple of blood test results taken from the last time she'd been given sedatives... sedatives administered by Kikyo.  
  
He slowly read the information, cursing himself for not being able to do anything for her.  
  
But then... maybe he could...? At least end her pain...?  
  
He stared harder at the results for a moment before screwing up the sheet of paper and tossing it into the bin along with all the letter bombs and bills...  
  
Maybe Kikyo had been doing the right thing after all... Well, that didn't matter. At least now he knew what he had to do.  
  
Miroku looked up as Inuyasha headed off again without even having glanced at his schedule. "Where are you going?"  
  
"To find Sango... she has a key to a drawer in the pocket of my coat that I need..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
AN: Bye now! I'll be back some time soon I hope with the last chapter 


	17. End A Life, Start Another

AN: Ooh! Just found out that Kagome DID kiss Inuyasha in the second movie (whilst he was full demon (goes to show Kagome's taste... it's always the quiet ones)) AND she saved him - turned him back into a hanyou and then he kissed back 0.0;; Never expected it to really happen... And Kikyo barely shows up in the entire thing!!  
  
Not sure what happened after that point though...  
  
Anyway! Here's the last chapter of 28 Days *cue sad music here* and whether you decide to flame me or thank me at the end... that's up to you (or you could just NOT review all together like I know a lot of people do ^_^) Sorry it took so long to get out, but Boyfriend insists he's more important than my writing and doodling (or so he'd like to think ¬_¬) He's been trying to divert my attention away from my work - so sorry for the lack of recent updates.  
  
Whether it's a sad ending or a happy ending...?... depends on your point of view. It seems a little sad to me... but I could just be feeling sad because I have to finish off one of my favourite stories... Chapters twice as long as well as an extra treat ^_^  
  
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28 Days  
  
End a Life, Start Another  
  
(Ominous?)  
  
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Inuyasha entered Kagome's room quietly, key clasped firmly in his right fist. He shut the door soundly and moved straight to the window to close the curtains half way so no bright light could interfere with his work.  
  
Kagome roused at once the minute she heard him jangle the key in the lock beside her bed. "Inuyasha...?" she frowned and tried to twist and see him.  
  
"Afternoon." He greeted, hesitating a moment to reach into the draw to pull out the syringe.  
  
Kagome looked at his suspicious posture and frowned. "What are you doing?"  
  
He hesitated again... before sighing and reaching inside to pull out the syringe, holding it up for her to see.  
  
"Xycrophobin?" she guessed.  
  
"Sedatives." He corrected her.  
  
Kagome flicked a startled gaze up at him. "Sedatives... for me?"  
  
He nodded silently.  
  
"Will it... will it ease the pain?" she relaxed slightly with a grimace, as if to reinforce how much pain she was in.  
  
"It'll take it away completely." He told her gently.  
  
"I thought you weren't going to do this..." she whispered.  
  
"Things have changed." He said simply.  
  
"You seem awfully abrupt all of a sudden." She scowled at him. "Are you scared?"  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't..." She winced. "I am... a little, I guess."  
  
"Don't be..." he smoothed a hand over her hair. "I'll talk you through it..."  
  
*  
  
^_^  
  
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"Where is the head nurse, Kikyo?" the police officer asked Doctor Fei as she arrived before him and a few of his fellow officers.  
  
"She's being held upstairs by the medical board heads." Doctor Fei told them stoically, not at all pleased by the girl's behaviour. She started to lead them out of the waiting room, through the masses of patients. "Please, Kagome Higurashi is this way."  
  
Sango and Miroku watched silently as the police officers passed by the desk, heading down the hall in the direction of the personal ward rooms. Miroku was the first to speak. "Looks like somebody did something illegal."  
  
"Wasn't you was it?" She eyed him warily.  
  
"Well... nothing recently illegal." He suddenly looked worried. "Although I did recently wire up free cable porn in the upstairs recreation room... for the patients."  
  
Sango stared at him.  
  
"Ok... just for the staff in the staff room..."  
  
She continued to stare.  
  
"Alright - I wired it to the TV in the boiler room for myself - happy?!"  
  
"You're sick." Sango rolled her eyes.  
  
"That's why I'm in a hospital." He retorted, getting back on with his filing.  
  
*  
  
^_^  
  
*  
  
"It sounds simple..." Kagome watched as Inuyasha flicked the syringe, moving all the air bubbles to the top and pushing them out so there was no risk of getting air into her veins.  
  
"Because it is simple, Kagome." He said stiffly, lowering the syringe near her arm. "Are you ready?"  
  
Kagome sucked in a steadying breath of air and her hand reached out to grip his free one. He squeezed back just as tightly as she squeezed his. "Inuyasha..." she whimpered in a slightly scared tone.  
  
"Don't worry, it won't be painful." He smiled slightly. He had to pull his hand away from hers for a moment as he carefully inserted the syringe end into the IV needle in her hand. But the moment he was done he returned to grip her hand tightly. "I'll be here with you all the way..."  
  
"I know..." she smiled faintly, though a cold sweat had broken out over her face and bare arms. "You'll take care of me... you always did..."  
  
He smiled and squeezed her hand again. "I love you so much. You're so strong."  
  
"I love you too..." she sighed and closed her eyes. "Everything will be alright now..."  
  
"Ok?" he waited for her permission to go on.  
  
"Ok..." she nodded slightly.  
  
Inuyasha didn't hesitate like Kikyo had done, he had all the courage he needed to do this now. He pressed the plunger down and watched as the liquid in the tube slid down until the syringe was empty.  
  
It would take a few moments.  
  
But a lot could happen in those few moments. The door opened suddenly and in walked his mother with some of the worst placed people at that moment in time. Doctor Fei stumbled to a halt, momentarily blocking the men behind her. She darted a shocked look from her son, to the syringe in his hand, the empty bottle of sedatives that hadn't been taken away... and at last to Kagome, just in time to see her slacken on her bed, her head falling limply to the side.  
  
"What have you done?!" his mother asked in a shrill tone.  
  
The officers were quick to work out what had happened, and at once pushed past Doctor Fei as they lurched for Inuyasha. He didn't bother struggling or protesting, as they grabbed his arms and jerked him away from the bed to hold him steady a metre away from the foot.  
  
"You're too late." He told them with a wry shrug.  
  
Doctor Fei hurried to the bed side and grabbed the syringe he'd dropped. It was empty... he'd administered a full dosage... she looked back in horror at her son. "How could you...?" she took in his determined and set expression before angrily storming over to him to grab him by the front of his shirt. "You're no better than a murderer!"  
  
"It's not murder! I'm helping her!" Inuyasha yelled back. "You wouldn't understand - there's no time!"  
  
"What?" she stared at him, frowning in disgusted confusion. "I don't believe this... this is sick... this is WRONG!"  
  
Inuyasha's lip curled slightly and he struggled slightly, trying to tug his way out of the police officers grip, but they were all of six full grown and very strong men.  
  
A sudden loud and raspy gasp sounded from Kagome and everyone looked sharply back at the bed to see the unconscious girl begin to convulse. Doctor Fei paid no more heed to her son as she raced over to the bed and looked around at the fervently beeping machines around her. "Shit - Inuyasha!"  
  
"Don't touch her!" Inuyasha struggled some more. "Don't interfere!"  
  
"Sorry - it's my job!" she snapped back angrily at her son.  
  
The alarms had already triggered an emergency call up down in reception moments earlier, and just then a few nurses arrived on the scene, Aki among them.  
  
"What's happening?" Aki asked, darting a look around the room at the worrying sight of Doctor Inuyasha being restrained by police.  
  
"Overdose of sedatives." Doctor Fei said shortly, causing the nurses to cast a frightened look at Inuyasha. "Take her pillows and blankets away, Umiko."  
  
The youngest nurse complied at once, gently slipping the bedding away from Kagome's contorting body.  
  
"Leave her!" Inuyasha snapped.  
  
"Take him outside!" Doctor Fei ordered at once, obviously her feelings towards her son weren't an issue when it came to work and duty.  
  
Inuyasha cursed under his breath as the police began to drag him along to the door. He really hoped it had all been worth it. As he was pulled out through the door he heard the beeping machines pick up the pace and looked back over his shoulder in concern.  
  
"Come on." the police officer on his left arm gave him a tug.  
  
"Hey - the lady said take me outside - not take me away!" Inuyasha protested. "I'm staying right-"  
  
He snapped his mouth shut when the incessant beeping inside the room changed from intermittent into a continuous drone. His heart leapt into his throat and he twisted suddenly to look over his shoulder to see what was happening. He only heard the faint voice of his mother over the loud din of the heart monitor. "She's flat lining - start CPR!"  
  
"Get off me!" Inuyasha suddenly ripped free of their grip and slammed back into the room. He somehow managed to summon the strength to force the door close behind him against the six men, and secure the large lock that would keep them out.  
  
"Out Inuyasha!" his mothered yelled as she pushed hard against Kagome's chest. She paused a moment to allow one of the nurses to blow into the girl's mouth.  
  
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Inuyasha snapped, moving towards the bed.  
  
"What are you on about - this is what you wanted, right?" she snapped angrily at him.  
  
"Get out of the way!" he all but pushed his mother to the side. "CPR isn't going to work - get the paddles."  
  
Aki hesitated only a moment before turning to wheel the defibrillator machine over. Inuyasha took the paddles out and glanced over at his mother. "Charge three hundred."  
  
She stared at him questioningly. Not understanding his motives anymore. He'd just effectively killed his patient... and now he was trying to revive her... it didn't make sense. But she didn't argue - her interest was in reviving Kagome - asking questions came later. She moved and turned the knobs on the machine to charge three hundred volts, listening to the whine it gave off as it began to charge.  
  
"Aki - get the gel pads and move her clothes out the way." Inuyasha glanced at the nurse, holding the paddles well away from him.  
  
Aki grabbed the pads from under the bed, but hesitated upon removing Kagome's hospital gown. Inuyasha glared at the young girl impatiently, "Aki!"  
  
"I've never done this before!" she protested, recoiling slightly.  
  
"Now is not the time to get all shy on us!" Inuyasha growled. "Get the gown off, NOW!"  
  
Aki flinched at his tone of voice and quickly fumbled for the string behind Kagome's neck and undid the bow. In a matter of seconds the gown was loose and she pulled it down to Kagome's waist, bearing her upper body, but not completely removing the gown to give her some modesty.  
  
"Gel pads down." Inuyasha barked.  
  
Aki quickly placed the pads down between Kagome's breasts after the nurse beside her smeared some gel over the skin in preparation. Inuyasha lowered the paddles down on top of the pads without hesitation. "Clear!"  
  
They all stepped back as he snapped the button on both paddles, sending a jolt through Kagome that nearly made her contort off the bed. It did nothing to help her heart though. Inuyasha took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself. "Again - five hundred this time!"  
  
His mother changed the dials on the defibrillator and charged. Inuyasha placed the paddles back down. "Clear."  
  
They all stepped back again as a large surge tore through Kagome. She half lifted off the bed as though she was pushed from below, but soon settled back down.  
  
"Again - six hundred!" the volume of Inuyasha's voice was rising as he grew desperate.  
  
It charged and he shocked Kagome again, but once more, it had no effect.  
  
"Again!" he ordered.  
  
His mother hesitated for a moment before charging. Inuyasha placed the paddles back down but received no more than a spasm of her body.  
  
"Again!"  
  
"Inuyasha-" His mother tried to touch his shoulder but he shrugged her off sharply.  
  
"Again!" he snapped.  
  
She drew in a breath and turned to charge the machine one last time. The defibrillator whined and Inuyasha placed the paddles back down.  
  
But then it all changed. The droning monotone beep in the background broke up into smaller blips and Aki yelped. "Don't shock her! She's back!"  
  
Inuyasha drew back at once, having been a split second away from pushing the button and effectively, shorting out Kagome's heart to kill her again. That wouldn't have been a good move.  
  
He replaced the paddles and turned back to the bed, in time to see Kagome jolt awake and draw in a laboured breath, eyes looking around wildly. Nothing could have described how relieved and happy he was to see her awake.  
  
"She's awake..." Aki's amazing talent for stating the obvious.  
  
"Kagome - Kagome!" Inuyasha grabbed one of her flailing hands and pulled it across her body towards him, so her arm covered her chest to give her some coverage. "Can you hear me? Do you know me?"  
  
It took her a few moments to calm down before she nodded quickly, various muscles in her body still twitching after the extreme jolts of electricity that had been flushed through her.  
  
"Remember where you are?" he asked quickly.  
  
She nodded again. He smiled widely in relief.  
  
"It worked...?" she rasped, almost inaudibly.  
  
"Yeah... it worked..." he brushed her hair.  
  
Kagome looked around at the astounded faces around her before noticing something different. She looked sharply back at Inuyasha. "I'm naked..."  
  
"You know me... any excuse." He gave her a smirk, even as he pulled up a blanket to cover her. "You had us worried..."  
  
"I... you said I might die..." she nodded. "Did I?"  
  
"Yeah, just for a moment though and-"  
  
"Hold it!" Doctor Fei suddenly interrupted, marching forward to yank Inuyasha's ear and drag him away from the bed. "YOU have a lot of explaining to do! I can't believe you risked her life like this - taking advantage of her weak state of mind to get her permission to-"  
  
"To what?" he snapped, jerking away. "To cure her?!"  
  
"Baloney!" his mother scoffed. "You tried to kill her!"  
  
"I didn't! And neither did Kikyo!" Inuyasha rubbed his offended ear and looked back at Kagome. "The bleeding nurse figured it out first - I don't believe that..."  
  
"What?" Fei barked sharply, not understanding him in the least.  
  
"The reason why the virus reaction so violently to the sedatives was because they were attacking the virus - though it looked like it was killing her." Inuyasha went back to Kagome's side who was battling to keep her eyes open and stay awake. He crouched by her side and smoothed her hair back from her face and gripped her hand, relieved that she wasn't trembling anymore. "Kikyo must have discovered what was going on when she saw the first blood results after we accidentally gave her sedatives..."  
  
"But... why would she keep it to herself?" Doctor Fei.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know..." Inuyasha said absently, squeezing Kagome's hand. "How ya feeling?"  
  
"Like..." she squinted her eyes. "Like I've touched an electric fence recently. Is my hair sticking up?"  
  
"Nah..."  
  
"That's ok then..." she smiled weakly. "Is it all ok now?"  
  
"Yeah..." he grinned. "You won't die..."  
  
"Will I recover?"  
  
"We'll see..." he wasn't going to hold any promises. The damage to her body might be irreparable. She might not be able to walk again... she might not ever be able to think clearly again either.  
  
"Inuyasha... I'm really tired..." Kagome muttered thickly, her eyes closing hesitantly.  
  
"It's alright, you can sleep." He told her gently.  
  
"Thanks..." she passed out promptly, falling into a deep sleep. Inuyasha straightened and felt his mothers hand on his shoulder. He glanced back at her slightly perturbed expression. "What?"  
  
"You didn't end it... did you?" She asked, her eyebrows drawing together in a light frown. She was talking about his relationship with Kagome...  
  
"No... but it doesn't matter anymore." He turned to leave.  
  
"You make less and less sense every day - and where are you going now?" She asked as he unlocked the door and checked cautiously for police officers.  
  
"Find Kikyo." Inuyasha shrugged and looked back at Aki and the other two nurses. "Watch her - make sure she's ok. I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
With that last order he turned and left. But he didn't plan to be gone long...  
  
*  
  
^_^  
  
*  
  
"God... they're all idiots..." Kikyo blew out a big sigh and continued to count ceiling tiles from her position on the staff room couch, on her back of course.  
  
The door suddenly opened and Kikyo sat bolt upright and opened her mouth to speak, she faltered slightly when she saw it was Inuyasha. No doubt he was going to be especially mad... yep... he had an unusually calm expression - an obvious sign that something close to a volcanic eruption was smouldering under the surface.  
  
"So..." Kikyo started off, seeing as Inuyasha wasn't making any move to start a conversation. "What happened to your coat?"  
  
"Why'd you do it, Kikyo?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.  
  
"Ah - you see the thing is..." she shifted with a weak smile. "I know this sounds strange but I wasn't trying to kill Kagome - I was trying to save her-"  
  
"I know." He shrugged. "But why didn't you tell me you'd found the cure? You could have saved us from all this mess with the police."  
  
Kikyo's smile faded slightly. "What? Was I supposed to tell you about my discovery and then let you take all the credit Mr big-shot doctor kid?" she snorted. "I'm not stupid..."  
  
Inuyasha suddenly scowled. "And what if you'd been wrong - what if that hadn't been the cure after all? What if you'd killed her by accident - you need MY permission to do things like that, Kikyo!"  
  
Kikyo rose to meet his anger. "I repeat - I am NOT stupid Inuyasha - just because I'm a nurse doesn't mean I have an academic block that sets my brain just below those of doctors! I've been a nurse for years! I KNOW a heck of a lot more than you and I have SEEN a lot more as well! I knew what I was doing! Besides! I had the brains to be a doctor - it wasn't my fault that my parents weren't rich enough to fund for the medical school fees! I know just as much as Miroku or anyone else!"  
  
"You should have told someone!"  
  
"Do you know the definition of a nurse these days?!" Kikyo asked curtly. "The unappreciated - over worked - underpaid - suckers of the hospital! Unlike the doctors, we CARE about our patients! We should go on strike to get better treatment for ourselves - but we don't! Because that would harm the sick people!"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her for a moment, blinking. "Actually the dictionary definition of a nurse is a person employed to look after sick-"  
  
"Shut up! Are you even listening to my point?!"  
  
"Do you even have one?"  
  
Kikyo groaned and thrust her fingers into her hair to press against her head. He was infuriating... "My point is... I would have cured her... and everyone would be patting me on the back - not you!"  
  
"Hang on - this isn't just you getting your own back on me for rejecting you after that kiss, is it?" Inuyasha suddenly looked cocky. "Cause I'm sorry, but if I accepted the affections of every girl who flung themselves at me then I would be a polygamist. I'd have girls over in Europe if that was-"  
  
"Would you get you head out of your ass for one minute and stop being so vain. This has nothing to do with that kiss!" Kikyo was blushing anyhow. "Anyway... I don't see anyone flinging themselves at you..."  
  
"Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it ain't happening." He said haughtily.  
  
"It ain't happening is it?"  
  
Inuyasha sucked in a breath as though he was about to protest blatantly, but let it go. "No... not really..."  
  
Kikyo rolled her eyes and sat back down on the coach with her back to him and the door. "It doesn't matter... you've figured out the cure for yourself and you've gone and saved her. Everyone will be congratulating you now..."  
  
Inuyasha frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "Well... I wouldn't have figured it out if you hadn't tried it first..."  
  
"I don't need your pity." Kikyo ground out.  
  
"It isn't pity." He told her shortly. "Don't kid yourself, people know you're a good nurse. You're nice to the patients... unlike me... people notice that."  
  
Kikyo glanced back at him a little hopefully.  
  
"And... you figured out the cure before me." Inuyasha grimaced. "I guess that makes you smarter than me."  
  
"Yes." Kikyo didn't have to be modest here.  
  
"Really... the only thing you suck at is filing." He told her honestly. "To tell you the truth, Miroku does the girlie job better here."  
  
"Mm..." she hummed, looking back down at her lap.  
  
"Well, in any case, you're free of the murder charges and blah, blah, blah." He lightened his tone. "You're free to go back to work and you can tell everyone you found the cure first if you want."  
  
"You'd let me?" she blinked at him in surprise as she rose.  
  
"Yep. It's not like I care." He shrugged carelessly. "I gotta go see how Kagome's doing. I only came to tell you she's cured... she'll live thanks to you."  
  
A flattered blush rose to her cheeks again. "Thanks, Doctor."  
  
He stopped half way out the door and grinned back at her. "Just call me Inuyasha."  
  
"What?" Kikyo called after him in surprise, but he'd already gone out the door.  
  
Shortly after he left the nude old gentlemen toddled past the door, winking at Kikyo in the staff room. She stared as a swarm of guards hurried past a few moments later...  
  
God... she'd never realised how weird this hospital was...  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
1 month later...  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"There he is!" Miroku dropped the phone back into it's cradle in a flurry as he spotted Inuyasha coming through the doors into the waiting area. "I've been trying to reach you on the phone - haven't you got it turned on?"  
  
"Of course I have." Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he made his way through the mild crowd of patients waiting around.  
  
"Then why can't I reach you - every time I call you some woman speaking English answers." Miroku scowled.  
  
"That would be because I divert all the calls from the hospital to the American speaking clock." Inuyasha smiled mildly at his own genius.  
  
"Do you know how much long distance calls cost?" Miroku demanded.  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "Duh, of course I do. That's why I did it."  
  
"I give up..." Miroku rolled his eyes and turned back to what he was doing. Sango quickly stepped up.  
  
"Did you go down to Matalan like I asked? Did you pick up the blue jumper?" she asked quickly.  
  
"Didn't go." He answered shortly, as he started selecting pens from the pen pot on the front desk and stuck them in his pocket. "I wouldn't be seen dead in Matalan, I do have a reputation to hold."  
  
"But it's the last day of the January sales!" she whined. "Now I'll have to go myself!"  
  
"Go on - it's not like you have work to go to." Inuyasha said pointedly.  
  
"You're one to talk." Sango shot back and they started a small glaring match.  
  
"Ladies!" Miroku waved a hand, breaking their eye contact. "Not now, we're too busy to get into-"  
  
"Miroku - don't open that letter." Inuyasha snatched the mail off him that he was about to open.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Inuyasha dropped it on the floor and stamped on it before stepping back. A few moments later the letter went off with a loud bang and a furl of smoke - many of the residents in the waiting room jumped while the rest ran for the doors or hit the ground.  
  
Inuyasha smirked. "Letter bomb. Works even better than yelling - Oh my god it's spewing anthrax everywhere!!"  
  
The patients who hadn't already run out, did so after that.  
  
Inuyasha walked off cackling to himself. Sango slanted Miroku a flat look. "I don't think we're ever gonna get rid of him are we...?"  
  
"Not any time soon..."  
  
*  
  
^_^  
  
*  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
Kagome nearly had a heart attack as someone small grabbed her from behind, arms squeezing around her waist. She twisted awkwardly to see who it was, and her face lit up at once. "Souta - you're back from camp already?!"  
  
"Yep!" he loosened his grip slightly so she could turn away from the window and crouch down to grapple him into a bear hug. "You look so much better."  
  
Kagome laughed and looked him up and down. "Have you shrunk?"  
  
"It only looks that way because you're finally standing." He gave her a light shove, thrilled that she didn't topple over like a weakling. She was back to being his sturdy older sister.  
  
"Nope... you've definitely lost an inch or two." She stood and ruffled up his hair. "Where's Mom and Grandpa?"  
  
"Well Grandpa's in one of the bed's up the hall." Souta told her, as he went off to investigate the contents of her hospital room.  
  
"Since when?" Kagome gaped at him.  
  
"Since he though mixing Gin and Sake together was a good idea." Souta said flatly. "He had his stomach pumped. Again. Mom's with him."  
  
"We should start getting a discount for this place, huh?" Kagome turned back to gaze out the window. "Like frequent flier miles..."  
  
"Kagome?" Souta's disembodied voice called from the bathroom.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What happened to all the towels, soap, shower caps and complimentary shaving cream? And those little complimentary sewing kits?"  
  
Kagome grinned to herself. "Must have lost them."  
  
"No, here they are!" Souta said from close behind her, fishing into her packed up bags for the items. Since when did he move between rooms that fast?  
  
Kagome slapped his hands away and stuffed the stolen goodies back in the bag. "Well I don't have shower caps-"  
  
"Or facial shaving cream." Inserted Souta.  
  
"-In the new apartment." Kagome continued regardless. "It's not like the hospital will miss it all."  
  
Souta rolled his eyes and dived onto the hospital bed, promptly messing up the neatly folded sheets. "So spill the beans Kag! What was it like dying! Twice!"  
  
"Like..." she struggled for words. "I don't know... I wasn't really there."  
  
"Weren't you scared?" Souta asked.  
  
"Possibly..." Kagome smiled slightly. "Before it happened Inuyasha told me what might happen if it didn't work... it scared me a little... but now - it feels like I've been given a fresh new start."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"It seems the only time you start to appreciate how precious life is, is when death is staring you in the face." Kagome said seriously before brightening. "I'm ready to go make a fresh start!"  
  
"Well the university said they would still accept you, no matter if you're two months late." Souta recalled their mother's words. "They said as long as you make up the missed work you'll be ok."  
  
"Good!"  
  
"But mom says that if you get any debts... you're on your own." Souta told her slyly. "But then again - with a doctor as a boyfriend you'll hardly have to worry about paying off debts."  
  
"Inuyasha's not a doctor anymore." Kagome said absently as she began to rearrange the packed up backs that Souta had messed up.  
  
"Why not?" Souta gaped at her.  
  
"Well... would you be entirely comforted if a guy like Inuyasha was YOUR doctor?" she pointed out.  
  
"Honestly, it wouldn't bother me."  
  
Of course he would say that. He thought Inuyasha was the best thing invented since sliced bread.  
  
"Well... doctor and Inuyasha aren't that compatible it seems. So he's quit." Kagome sat down on the bed beside Souta and slung an arm round his shoulder.  
  
"You idiot... the whole point dating him was because you can sponge off him!" Souta told her bluntly.  
  
"I heard that."  
  
Souta jumped off the bed as the door opened and Inuyasha stepped in giving him a mock sour look. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Picking up your sister." Inuyasha shrugged blatantly and smirked at Kagome.  
  
"But I thought Mom was taking her to Kichijoji..." Souta said dubiously.  
  
"Better go tell her otherwise then." Kagome nudged her younger brother with a smile. "You know where she is, right?"  
  
"Right." Souta hopped off the bed and ran past Inuyasha on his way out, grinning when the ex-doctor scrubbed his hair. "Everyone keeps doing that..."  
  
Once he was gone Kagome watched Inuyasha with a smile as he moved across the room and sat on the bed opposite and behind her. With a little sigh she slumped back against his broad back and rolled her head onto his shoulder. "God I'm so bored... please tell me you weren't joking about taking me to the university?"  
  
"No joke." He touched her head lightly. "Hey..."  
  
"Hey what?"  
  
"Haven't you forgotten to ask me something?" he asked lightly, a smile playing on his voice.  
  
Kagome opened her mouth, about to ask what he meant when her eyebrows shot up and she suddenly jerked around to grab his shoulders. "Did you?" she shook him. "Did you get it?"  
  
He smiled to himself and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his wallet. He took his time opening it and looking around for something while Kagome gripped his shoulders tightly, almost dancing in nervous anticipation.  
  
Eventually he found what he was looking for and held up a folded white envelope over his shoulder for her to take. She accepted it greedily and pulled it open and took out the card inside. "Dear Mr Inu we write to determine if you'd like to renew your year membership to our beauty Salon-"  
  
"Oops!" Inuyasha quickly snatched the letter back and stuffed it back in his wallet. "Wrong one..."  
  
Catching her odd look he shrugged innocently. "What? It's not for me! Why would I need a beauty salon treatment for my hair... I mean... it may be tough to handle - but I don't need a SALON to help me out... there... you see?"  
  
"I see." Kagome tried to suppress her smile. "So where is it?"  
  
"Here." Inuyasha handed her a different envelope which she delved into just as quickly as the last.  
  
She paused a moment to read the contents before crying out and hugging him tightly from behind, almost causing them both to fall off the bed. "Yes! I knew you could do it!" she quickly released him and slipped off the bed to stand beside him. "There weren't any problems were there?"  
  
"Only of being slightly overqualified." He grinned and took back the letter. "But they couldn't say 'yes' fast enough."  
  
"This is perfect!" Kagome clapped her hands together excitedly. "Ok - maybe it isn't a lawyer degree - but beggars can't be choosers."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"I got the next best thing though." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the corner of the mouth. "At least now we'll be attending the same University."  
  
"Thank Sango for giving me the idea." He placed his hands at her waist and pulled her closer for a proper kiss. He would have liked to have stayed longer like that, but Kagome was full of energy that day and was soon wiggling out of his grip to move away with a grin.  
  
"And that would be kiss number... what... you've given me?" she smiled at him as she grabbed her bags and started slinging them over her shoulders.  
  
"Lost count. Don't care either." He smirked and began taking a few bags off her shoulders so she wouldn't get weighed down.  
  
"Stop that!" she started taking the bags he'd nicked. "I can carry them."  
  
"No you can't."  
  
"Yes I can."  
  
"No you can't! You only just got over a very serious illness!"  
  
"I got over that a month ago! Get with the times Inuyasha, that was SO last month." She started a tug of war over the last bag with him. "Give it!"  
  
"You need to conserve your energy!" he argued, a little perturbed at how freakishly strong she actually was now.  
  
"For what? Beating you over the head later on for thinking I can't carry my handbag without collapsing with exhaustion?!" she pinched his hand and quickly took the bag when he let go with a gasp. "Serves you right."  
  
"Damn... you're a violent bitch..."  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and started for the door. "Are you coming or are you just going to stand there all day insulting me?"  
  
"Well only if you stay to be insulted by."  
  
"No, I have lectures to attend - and you have crazy demented students to help." She held out her hand to him and smiled when he took it. "Maybe I'll be one of your patients."  
  
"You're certainly crazy enough." He allowed her to lead the way out of the room and down the hall towards reception. "But seeing as I'll be living with you - you get a discount."  
  
"Oh goodie." She laughed and twined her fingers in with his as they held hands.  
  
When they reached reception Miroku let out a big sigh and glanced at Sango who was grinning. "Fine... you win..."  
  
"Win what?" Kagome went over to the desk curiously. "A bet?"  
  
"Miroku said you'd stay another week at least." Sango explained before turning to the surgeon. "You know the deal - pay up."  
  
"Man..." Miroku dug into his pockets and pulled out various pens of assorted colours before holding them out to Sango grudgingly. "Pick one..."  
  
Sango took a few moments, making a big deal out of pursing her lips and 'ooh'ing and 'ah'ing before finally picking a pink coloured pen. Inuyasha's jaw practically dropped and he raised his hand to say something. Kagome just pushed his hand down discreetly. "Easy boy..."  
  
"But he's got-"  
  
"Let it go." Kagome told him gently before turning back to the nurse and the surgeon. "Can I sign myself out then?"  
  
"Yep." Sango took over and handed her the forms she had to sign. "You going back to University now?"  
  
"Yeah - Inuyasha's coming with me too." Kagome glanced at the young man beside her who was impatiently tapping his foot against the desk.  
  
"Back to school days?" Sango blinked at him in surprise. "Not becoming a lawyer are you?"  
  
"Nope. He's becoming councillor on campus." Miroku smirked.  
  
"Copy cat." Sango muttered.  
  
"Hey - it's psychiatrist." Inuyasha protested.  
  
"Have you got a psychology degree?" Sango pointed out.  
  
He shifted uneasily. "Who needs one? I get paid a bomb for sitting on my ass all day just listening to peoples problems."  
  
"I thought you hated that." Miroku said.  
  
"Only when I'm not paid for it." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Obviously."  
  
"There - all done." Kagome handed her forms back to Sango who took them with a smile and gave her a quick hug over the counter. Miroku probably would have liked to have had the same treatment, but Sango shot that idea down in flames with a hot glare. Inuyasha burst into action and grabbed Kagome by the shoulders to begin steering her towards the exit.  
  
"Can't get out of here fast enough can you?" Sango called after them.  
  
"Not nearly enough." He said over his shoulder, dodging his way through the crowd with Kagome.  
  
"See you Sango - Bye Miroku!" Kagome called as they reached the doors. "And tell Kikyo I said thanks for saving my life - Again!"  
  
"Will do!" Sango waved.  
  
"See you soon, Kagome!" Miroku called.  
  
Inuyasha all but pushed her out the doors. "Not soon - never!" he held up his hand to his forehead to make the L sign. "Goodbye for good, Losers!"  
  
Inuyasha disappeared out the doors and Sango sighed with satisfaction. "Finally... it's nice to see people get better again. It's good to actually have Inuyasha out of our hair."  
  
"He'll be back." Miroku commented smugly as he went back to filing.  
  
"Are you sure?" Sango scoffed.  
  
"Yep. Especially when he's just left the keys to his pimp-mobile." He picked up the car keys that had been left on top of the register and dangled them before her nose.  
  
They both looked up as Inuyasha came back in with a scowl on his face as he headed towards the desk. They both grinned as he snatched his keys from Miroku's outstretched hand with a grumbled comment they didn't catch. He started to leave again before he back-stepped quickly and nabbed a few colourful pens from the pen pot in front of Sango.  
  
Miroku opened his mouth to protest but Sango held up her hand. "Just let it go, big guy."  
  
Well... it wasn't like Inuyasha was going to be around to nick pens in the future. Miroku decided to listen to Sango for once.  
  
"Bye Doctor Inu!" Aki waved as she went past. "Taking the day off?"  
  
"Uh... no Aki, I'm retiring."  
  
She nodded absently and walked off. "That's nice. See you tomorrow then."  
  
Inuyasha shook his head in disgust, "From now on I'm only taking public health service - I'm never coming back to this place again. It's too crazy."  
  
"You was what made it crazy, Inuyasha." Miroku pointed out. "Good luck on your new job... maybe we'll visit some time."  
  
"Please spare me." Inuyasha rolled his eyes but smiled as he headed towards the exit again. "Bye guys!"  
  
"Bye." They both chorused with big smiles until he was finally gone. Sango leaned over to Miroku discreetly. "You pop the champagne and I'll get the glasses!"  
  
*  
  
^_^  
  
*  
  
"Ok, first things first." Kagome said as Inuyasha approached outside. "We sell your old apartment and use the money to buy a decent car."  
  
"No, we're keeping the car." He said firmly.  
  
"But - you said you wanted it to be nicked already!" Kagome protested.  
  
"We keep the car and use the apartment money to buy something else." He shrugged as he opened the drivers door and dropped into the seat. Kagome followed on the passenger side.  
  
"Like... big mosquito nets for the beds?" Kagome guessed.  
  
Inuyasha stared at her.  
  
"What? So maybe now I have a phobia of biting and stinging insects... that's understandable..." she rubbed her arm self-consciously.  
  
"Nah - I was thinking we could buy something better like... if we sold your apartment too we'd-"  
  
"Be homeless?"  
  
"Let me finish!" he scolded her. "I was thinking with that kind of combined income we could actually buy a house."  
  
Kagome stared at Inuyasha as he casually seemed to start up the engine like what he'd said was no big deal. "Are you saying... we should move into a real house... for real?"  
  
"Sure... we're both mature adults..." he thought about that. "Well together we kind of make one complete mature adult between us..."  
  
"A house? Like - with a real address and phone number and - and a kitchen?!" Kagome was practically bubbling with excitement.  
  
Inuyasha nodded with relief, glad that she was open to the idea. "Sure." He smiled at her.  
  
"And if I sue Kikyo's ex boyfriend like she told me to do then we could use THAT money to buy an extension!" She grinned.  
  
"I hope your joking."  
  
"Not really. I AM gonna be a lawyer."  
  
Inuyasha had to refrain from shuddering and making the sign of evil again. She saw his wary look and gave him a playful nudge in the arm. "Let's just go back to our apartment for now."  
  
"Sounds good to me." He started to pull out of the parking space. "Now, Kagome, as we drive, try not to be too malicious of the bugs that go splat on the windscreen."  
  
"I'll try." She laughed and turned slightly in her seat so she could watch him as he drove. It didn't take long for him to see what she was doing.  
  
He darted an amused glance at her. "What? Do I have curry source on my cheek or something?"  
  
"No... I'm just thinking..." She smiled softly. "That... thanks to you I'll treasure every day of my life from now on."  
  
He smile softened but he had to keep his eyes on the road. "That's sweet..." he smirked. "I'd kiss you, but then we'd probably crash and you won't get many days to treasure after that."  
  
"That's ok." Kagome was content to just sit back and admire her hero. The man who had saved her life and caused her to take a new outlook on things. He'd brought her back from the brink of depression...  
  
That day she'd stood on the roof and looked down at the ground... she'd been serious. She would have stepped off and cut the misery short if she'd been left to her own devices for a few extra minutes. But he'd been there, he'd unknowingly talked her out of suicide and saved her life even then, from herself.  
  
If she'd really gone through with it, she would never have known what she'd missed! This! If she'd had a doctor like Kouga from the start, she was sure that she would be at her own funeral at that very moment... or six feet under already.  
  
Somehow the strangest doctor in history, the guy with the surly attitude and the disgusting bedside manners had been her perfect doctor... he'd really saved her.  
  
And she was going to make sure she repaid him for the rest of her life.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
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AN: There we go, I'm all sad now that it's over. But I laugh at all those people who flamed me for turning Kikyo 'evil'. Those people should know better than to take some plot twists of mine at face value. So don't forget to review! ^_^ 


End file.
